Can I decline being promoted to Corporal?

SURE:...... Become a Civilian.
Some Of Them Love Being A FLUNKY Too.
So, You're Not Alone.. Grab A Mop.!

SARGE.?... I HOPE You Took That Promo To Corporal;...... Each Promo Is A Move To The Next One ...
At Some Point You MUST Accept A Leadership Role If You Plan On Making The Service A Career Or Advance Anywhere. ..The Sooner You Begin The Sooner It'll Become Easier & Easier, Then One Morning You'll Wake Up & It's Like You've Always Had The Skill.

BTW: I'm Speaking From Experience; Believe This Or Not, At 14 I Went To Live In Panama With My Brother, Jim... He Was Already Rather Wealthy At The Time; He Owned, Outright, An Insurance Company; (La Tienda De Seguros) A Service Station (Paitilla Gulf) An Auto Body Shop (Name Slips Me) . A Roller Skating Rink (El Patin Dorado), An Electronics Repair Shop (Television Pan-Americano) And Some Others.

ANYWAY, One Day He Took Me Aside & Said "Rick, I Realize You'e Just A Teenager, But You May As Well Start Learning To Be A Business Manager, And NOW Is a Good Time To Start" ... I Was Trained At His Service Station Then Manager Within 6 Months....( YES, I Was The Owners Kid Brother, So It Was NO Surprise To Anyone .... So Obviously, The Position Was GIVEN To Me ......Then Earned After Later.. LOL. ...
SO, As I Was Saying, I Hope You Took The Promo... Then You'll Almost Fall Into Supervision As You Move Forward With Your Career... And, Contrary To What You May Think, It AIN'T All That Difficult.

I suggest you turn down ranger school as I do not believe you have the leadership capabilities to be a Ranger.

Personally, I would have jumped at the offer to be a corporal over a specialist. My understanding back when was the specialist ranks were primarily for those they did not consider to be leaders but needed to get promoted. Being 11B2P I would have coveted the rank of corporal.

This right here is the problem with the new Army! (Among others). I don’t get paid enough mentality will be the demise of a great organization. Shrugging off responsibilities until you get paid for them. If I was in your chain of command you would have just forfeited your ability to attend Ranger school, and definitely not be placed in a leadership position where that loosen of an attitude could infect the good order, discipline and cohesion of the unit. Yes by all means do yourself, your unit, and the military a favor and decline to sign the 4187 or assume any leadership roles.

You could but there's a good chance you wouldn't have a choice and they would make you feel like a jackass for turning it down. You know how they are about motivation. The more you accept the opportunity and seem motivated about it the greater your chances of greater opportunities in the future. Look at the positive of it. Since corporal is a junior NCO it would give you a head start when they send you to PLDC. You would go into E5 with greater experience than someone who would go there straight from Specialist. I know that not every unit sends Corporals to PLDC but mine did. Don't turn down opportunities like this, especially if you want the Army to be a career. If you choose to end your term in Active and finish your 8-year contract in the Reserves just know that the rank works different in the Reserves. In active Army if you earn that rank they give it to you. In the Reserves if you earn, or deserve that rank they will not give it to you, unless they have a position for that rank open and available. That being said, if you go into the Reserves, whatever rank you are is the rank you keep when you enter. If the unit is already full of that position then they'll just attach you to a different unit that needs that rank, which may be in a completely different post but you can stay with the local unit, until it's time for your assigned unit to go to training.

I've had two SFC in a 1sg position over the years. One of them did a great job while the other was a pos. However neither of them complained about the extra duty. Accept the position and learn so that when you advance you are (hopefully) a good leader.

"I will not use my grade or position to attain pleasure, profit or personal safety." Part of the creed of the Non Commissioned Officer. Use it as training for leadership.

Good question. Also, not sure if there's such a thing as Pro Pay, but if there is, can you still get it as a Corporal?

Just came across this post, looks like you got your promotion to SGT, so congrats! Just know SGT Harrison this kind of mindset may prevent you from further growth in the military and definitely in the civilian world. Sometimes when you come across this opportunity or situation, just look at as an investment into yourself and those that you will lead in the future. In the military I recall being a PFC and doing the job of a SGT and SSG and in the civilian world this pattern only continues, but this sets you apart from those that just clock in and clock out. Is this bad, only if there is no positive outcome, but 9 times out of 10, this will only help you in the long run. Congrats again!