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I recently read a story that was about an NCO getting promoted in 1970, but the story involved his CO being on the promotion board. Seems fishy to me, but I also wasn't in the Army in 1970 and it's been a minute since I studied NCO history.
Posted in these groups: 
Promotion Board
Army Regulations
Promotion Board Army Regulations
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 6
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In WW2, the Korean War and till General Westmoreland put a stop to it in Vietnam, O3 Captains in the Army could promote and bust NCOs on a whim.
They were called 'Blood Stripes", because some people would dilberately set-up NCOS to take their ranks. - It took the Commander of the unit to do it. In the past, Soldiers were promoted based upon position/rank vacancies (e.g., Platoon Sergeant/E-7), cancelled requisitions that left positions unfilled, and Department of the Army quotas. Under the old system, a Soldier could not compete for promotion at the local installation selection board unless a position/grade vacancy existed at the unit of assignment. This created a "right time/right place" situation which did not afford equitable promotion opportunities for all Soldiers and did not ensure that the larger needs of the Army were being met. Promotions to sergeant major, master sergeant, and sergeant first class were centralized at HQDA on Jan. 1,1969, March 1, 1969, and June 1,1970, respectively.
The current promotion board for junior NCOs 'evolved' When exacty it began or what year I don't know but in 1971 it was 'still new' army-wide, but may have been something different units did on-their-own whereas others did not. Which I think was the actual case on many installations rather than an army-wide directed insititution.
Additional information quoted from the "Department of the Army Historical Summary: FY 1972":
"As the Army's strength has decreased, attention has centered upon efforts to improve the quality of the force. Through the Qualitative Management Program, there is a conscious effort to prevent promotion stagnation as the size of the Army is reduced; each loss (denial of re-enlistment) under the qualitative management program creates a promotion allocation for those remaining-loss of an E-7 would create an E-7, E-6, E-5, and E-4 promotion allocation. To improve the quality of the enlisted force, termination points were established for each enlisted grade and management tools were provided to screen out lesser qualified personnel before re-enlistment eligibility. And professionalism -a major precondition for a volunteer army-is stressed.
The Qualitative Management Program contains three features: separation of personnel whose performance and potential fall below standard; denial of re-enlistment to those not promoted or recommended for promotion after designated points in time; and screening and evaluation to measure professional knowledge, competence, and potential for advancement.
Several changes were also made in the Enlisted Promotion System. Promotion of all senior enlisted personnel was centralized, and that of
IMPORTANT PHRASE:
" E-6's and E-5's semicentralized so that eligible personnel competed by qualitative standing determined by point scores at the battalion-level."
CONTINUED
An Enlisted Evaluation System that combines the efficiency report with occupational specialty evaluation test scores to measure over-all performance was expanded in fiscal year 1972 to cover all phases of enlisted personnel management-promotion, re-enlistment, retention, school selection, and proficiency pay.
They were called 'Blood Stripes", because some people would dilberately set-up NCOS to take their ranks. - It took the Commander of the unit to do it. In the past, Soldiers were promoted based upon position/rank vacancies (e.g., Platoon Sergeant/E-7), cancelled requisitions that left positions unfilled, and Department of the Army quotas. Under the old system, a Soldier could not compete for promotion at the local installation selection board unless a position/grade vacancy existed at the unit of assignment. This created a "right time/right place" situation which did not afford equitable promotion opportunities for all Soldiers and did not ensure that the larger needs of the Army were being met. Promotions to sergeant major, master sergeant, and sergeant first class were centralized at HQDA on Jan. 1,1969, March 1, 1969, and June 1,1970, respectively.
The current promotion board for junior NCOs 'evolved' When exacty it began or what year I don't know but in 1971 it was 'still new' army-wide, but may have been something different units did on-their-own whereas others did not. Which I think was the actual case on many installations rather than an army-wide directed insititution.
Additional information quoted from the "Department of the Army Historical Summary: FY 1972":
"As the Army's strength has decreased, attention has centered upon efforts to improve the quality of the force. Through the Qualitative Management Program, there is a conscious effort to prevent promotion stagnation as the size of the Army is reduced; each loss (denial of re-enlistment) under the qualitative management program creates a promotion allocation for those remaining-loss of an E-7 would create an E-7, E-6, E-5, and E-4 promotion allocation. To improve the quality of the enlisted force, termination points were established for each enlisted grade and management tools were provided to screen out lesser qualified personnel before re-enlistment eligibility. And professionalism -a major precondition for a volunteer army-is stressed.
The Qualitative Management Program contains three features: separation of personnel whose performance and potential fall below standard; denial of re-enlistment to those not promoted or recommended for promotion after designated points in time; and screening and evaluation to measure professional knowledge, competence, and potential for advancement.
Several changes were also made in the Enlisted Promotion System. Promotion of all senior enlisted personnel was centralized, and that of
IMPORTANT PHRASE:
" E-6's and E-5's semicentralized so that eligible personnel competed by qualitative standing determined by point scores at the battalion-level."
CONTINUED
An Enlisted Evaluation System that combines the efficiency report with occupational specialty evaluation test scores to measure over-all performance was expanded in fiscal year 1972 to cover all phases of enlisted personnel management-promotion, re-enlistment, retention, school selection, and proficiency pay.
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There is a repository for outdated regs on APD going back to 1970.
Go to the search tab and try your luck there.
You may have to trace back the reg's lineage.
https://armypubs.army.mil/default.aspx
Go to the search tab and try your luck there.
You may have to trace back the reg's lineage.
https://armypubs.army.mil/default.aspx
APD MISSION: The Army Publishing Directorate (APD) is the Army’s centralized departmental publishing organization in support of readiness. APD manages, authenticates, indexes, sustains, procures printing, distributes publications, forms, and digital media. APD VISION: Providing innovative publishing services to the Army now and into the future.
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If the CSM can't sit on the promotion board then a captain is required to preside.
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SGM Erik Marquez
The president of the board will be a CSM or SGM, its not a unit option..
Unless the board members include a officer or warrant officer in which case the president of the board is the senior member.
I have no doubt units to all kinds of off the books things, never the less there is no provision in the reg that allows for the president of the board to be capt, just because the CSM or SGM is not "available"
1st; Its the CSM's job to be available and 2nd; If the CSM is truly unavailable say hospitalized, unconscious and has gout ...and the unit CDR with the help of the higher level unit CSM not find and task a qualified SGM from the unit to sit the board something is very wrong in that unit.
Perhaps the BN CDR felt they needed a skilled and very qualified technical expert to sit the board due to the SM's to go in front of the board and former SSG Marquez now CW3 Marquez fits the bill, and is a board member. Even if the CSM is a board member as well (as he should be) the CW3 is still the board president.
If the CSM or a unit SGM are not available the unit could get around the requirement by putting an officer as a board member, that officer, being senior to all others would now be the president of the board.
The reg reads as follows, note line (1) it uses the word "will", not may, not should, not recommended, not ideal.. but WILL
Composition. The promotion authority will appoint, in writing, a minimum of three voting members to serve on a promotion board. A promotion board will have a board recorder, without vote. The board president may be designated as a voting member in order to eliminate ties.
(1) The board president will be a CSM or SGM unless the board membership consists of an officer(s) or warrant officer(s), in which case the president is the senior member. At a minimum, when present, an officer(s) must hold the rank of captain or chief warrant officer three. 1SG/MSGs (or lower ranks) are not authorized to preside as the board president. There are no exceptions to these requirements.
(2) All voting members will be senior in rank to the Soldiers recommended for promotion.
(3) Voting members will include a minority member, if reasonably available.
(4) A majority of voting members will be NCOs.
(5) At least one voting member will be of the same gender as the Soldiers recommended for promotion. When this is not possible, the promotion authority will provide the reason in the appointment memorandum.
(6) A board may be split into two or more panels. Each panel must consist of an odd number of unbiased (at least three) voting members and a recorder without vote, to expedite the process if the number of recommended Soldiers so warrants.
When the board consists of more than one panel, the board president will not be a voting member of either panel. When an appearance is required, a Soldier will appear before only one panel. Boards will be convened and adjourned in the same
geographical location.
(7) Once a board convenes, the same board members will be present during the entire board proceedings.
(8) The board recorder cannot be considered for promotion by the same board
Unless the board members include a officer or warrant officer in which case the president of the board is the senior member.
I have no doubt units to all kinds of off the books things, never the less there is no provision in the reg that allows for the president of the board to be capt, just because the CSM or SGM is not "available"
1st; Its the CSM's job to be available and 2nd; If the CSM is truly unavailable say hospitalized, unconscious and has gout ...and the unit CDR with the help of the higher level unit CSM not find and task a qualified SGM from the unit to sit the board something is very wrong in that unit.
Perhaps the BN CDR felt they needed a skilled and very qualified technical expert to sit the board due to the SM's to go in front of the board and former SSG Marquez now CW3 Marquez fits the bill, and is a board member. Even if the CSM is a board member as well (as he should be) the CW3 is still the board president.
If the CSM or a unit SGM are not available the unit could get around the requirement by putting an officer as a board member, that officer, being senior to all others would now be the president of the board.
The reg reads as follows, note line (1) it uses the word "will", not may, not should, not recommended, not ideal.. but WILL
Composition. The promotion authority will appoint, in writing, a minimum of three voting members to serve on a promotion board. A promotion board will have a board recorder, without vote. The board president may be designated as a voting member in order to eliminate ties.
(1) The board president will be a CSM or SGM unless the board membership consists of an officer(s) or warrant officer(s), in which case the president is the senior member. At a minimum, when present, an officer(s) must hold the rank of captain or chief warrant officer three. 1SG/MSGs (or lower ranks) are not authorized to preside as the board president. There are no exceptions to these requirements.
(2) All voting members will be senior in rank to the Soldiers recommended for promotion.
(3) Voting members will include a minority member, if reasonably available.
(4) A majority of voting members will be NCOs.
(5) At least one voting member will be of the same gender as the Soldiers recommended for promotion. When this is not possible, the promotion authority will provide the reason in the appointment memorandum.
(6) A board may be split into two or more panels. Each panel must consist of an odd number of unbiased (at least three) voting members and a recorder without vote, to expedite the process if the number of recommended Soldiers so warrants.
When the board consists of more than one panel, the board president will not be a voting member of either panel. When an appearance is required, a Soldier will appear before only one panel. Boards will be convened and adjourned in the same
geographical location.
(7) Once a board convenes, the same board members will be present during the entire board proceedings.
(8) The board recorder cannot be considered for promotion by the same board
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1SG (Join to see)
SGM Erik Marquez last year in Iraq we went 3 months without a csm or sgm. Geographical separation made it unfeasible to get one from higher or sister unit. I dont know who made the final decision, or if a legal review was done, but we used a captain as president till we received our sgm.
I'd imagine in the instance of the original question of this thread something very similar happened.
I'd imagine in the instance of the original question of this thread something very similar happened.
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SGM Erik Marquez
1SG (Join to see) I was sure someone would post an instance where it made sense
And I can only speak for the CSM’s I’ve worked for or with
Some would have told the co units patrol to me at the fob if you want your people to be boarded
Others would have patrolled to a company patrol base or hopped a helo
But no doubt there were others that decided it was just too much work and told the unit figure it out and do what you want
And I can only speak for the CSM’s I’ve worked for or with
Some would have told the co units patrol to me at the fob if you want your people to be boarded
Others would have patrolled to a company patrol base or hopped a helo
But no doubt there were others that decided it was just too much work and told the unit figure it out and do what you want
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