General Meebo Eggleston

We have been having some great results with Meebo, the newest way that you can ask us questions. You've certainly been keeping us on our toes! The Reference Staff would like to remind you that in order to get your answer to you, you should either wait for an answer to your query or include your email address. Remember: no one but the staff here can see your question/email address. Because a couple of questions were received after hours or by those who disappeared before we answered their questions, we have decided to answer those questions in the blog. Look for the "meebo" label.

A recent inquiry asked how many generals are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces. According the United States Code Title 10 Chapter 526:

The number of general officers on active duty in the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, and the number of flag officers on active duty in the Navy, may not exceed the number specified for the armed force concerned as follows:

(1) for the Army, 302.
(2) for the Navy, 216.
(3) for the Air Force, 279.
(4) for the Marine Corps, 80.

There are a few exclusions where certain people (i.e., the president) in
certain circumstances (i.e., war) can add extra generals, but 877 seems to be
the average at any given point.

We also had a question about how to pronounce artist Will Eggleston's name. According to Cheim and Read Gallery in New York:

"EGG-el-stun"

These are great questions! They're just the sort of thing that we love to track down. Remember! If you don't stay on Meebo or give us your email address, we'll post the answer to your question here.