General Sheppard's rank and stars apparently do not match up by United States military standards: Sheppard has three stars per shoulder pad, which by US standards would make him a Lieutenant General. These errors may be explained if Sheppard is actually wearing a GDI uniform that may just resemble a US uniform. In that case, the ranking structure and awards could be unique to GDI and not necessarily follow the US pattern - as evidenced by the inclusion of Commander and Lieutenant Commander ranks within the traditional GDI army. It is also possible that Sheppard held the rank of Brigadier General in the US Army, and his new position came with a provisional promotion to Lieutenant General.
An oversight by Westwood Studios had General Sheppard's last name officially spelled as both "Shepherd" and "Sheppard" within the Command & Conquer manual.