Five isn't exactly ceremonial. They were awarded because during WWII, America took command of the war effort, and were commanding men who were actually higher up on the military food chain than they. So the Allies agreed to brevet four army, four navy, and one air force generals up to five stars so they wouldn't be breaking chain of command. The rank was retired after the war, and after Omar Bradley died, they consigned the rank to (hopefully) history. I think. It's been a while since I took my WWII history class.