I agree wholeheartedly, but they do not command anyone. A medical person by Geneva Conventions is considered a non-combatant along with Chaps and JAGS. If captured we are considered as "detained persons". This is all assuming your enemy has even read the Geneva Conventions. Once again I only go this route to show how rank conscious the military is even today. It can get pretty complicated between officers of the same rank. That is what caused the fall out between J.E. Johnston and Jeff Davis. He was a BG, but he was a staff and not line officer, his highest line rank was LTC, I think. Lee and others were given higher full general rank because they held Colonel rank of the line. Cooper was the 1st in seniority of the full generals of the Confederacy, but it was a staff job. He never commanded line troops. Once again just trying to give context of things that were of great significance in the ACW still exist today. "Who can command whom"