system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: Please explain the differences in roles and responsibilities among different military ranks (lets say Corporal to General)

What different roles do different ranks in the military have? What is the major difference between a 2nd Lieutenant's responsibility and a Major's responsibility? At which point does a particular rank stop seeing frontline combat, or combat at all. You get what I'm saying.
gpt
Think of it in comparison to a large retail chain.

Think of privates and specialists like the on-the-floor salesmen and stockers, who do the actual work of working with customers, stocking shelves and that kind of thing.

Now you've got your NCOs (non-commissioned officers), your corporals and sergeants. These guys are sort of like the shift supervisors and department managers, who keep the regular workers organized and on task based on the directions they're given from management.

Lieutenants are your store managers. The whole staff reports to them, the floor managers carry out their instructions, and the performance of the store as a whole is their responsibility.

Majors are your mid-level managers. Some of them might be attached to one larger store, others might be working at headquarters, others are running half a dozen stores in one given area. Most haven't set foot on a retail floor in years, except for the occasional tour or inspection. These are the guys who organize the bigger picture based on the strategy handed down from senior management. They're responsible for ensuring standards are met consistently, and for keeping senior management informed of conditions in the stores and in the market.

Colonels are your junior vice presidents. Same as majors, one rank might involve any of ten different roles, but generally they're running larger business units or working at HQ to coordinate overall strategy, supply and performance.

Generals are your senior management, your heads of marketing or your VPs. These guys are working out detailed strategy in support of the overall plan, bringing multiple different elements together in a coordinated effort to overcome the competition.

Then of course you've got your three- and four-star generals, who are your top-level executives (CEO, CFO etc). These guys are generally doing big-picture strategy and representing the company to the board, the investors etc.