E6 in 3 years? Is there such thing as making rank too soon?

Wow, things must have changed since I was in. (1991 - 1997). I was wearing E5 at 23 months (and it could have been earlier, but that's another story - but even 23 months to get E5 was considered super-fast) and assuming I had made it 6 months earlier, 17 months for E5. At the time when I was in, in order to take the test for E6, you had to have 3 YEARS time in rate as an E5. I took the E6 test 3 times and PNA'd before I got out. But the fact that you were E6 in 3 years was literally impossible when I was in due to TIR requirements for advancement. If I was wearing it at the 1.5 year mark, I could take the first test at the 4.5 year mark (assuming I had perfect timing on it) and then wear it around the 5 year mark. But the 3 year TIR requirement alone meant that if you were E6 in 3 years, then you started your enlistment as an E5..... Wait, what was the question?

I made E5 in the Air Force in 3 years and 1 month. Then the Air Force opened up my career field to cross-trainees. They were mostly E6 and E7. That froze promotions for the next 12 years or so. I retired at 20 as an E6.

I retired as an E6. But for the bulk of my service was spent in the "old school" Air Force where we still had people retiring as a SSgt. Top 3 was for the top 7% of the force.
Then, about 2 years after I retired, some dipthong chastised me that it only took him 6 years to make E6 and I was somehow degenerate for retiring as one.

I was disheartened and tried to analyze where I went wrong. But then vane to the conclusion that the modern military is promotion happy.
Was this guy READY to be an E6 at 6 years? I would wager not. He probably learned very quickly that RHIR (rank has it's responsibilities) and his maturity level was not conducive to his station.

Still, it kinda hurts when people rocket to E7 and then retire at a higher grade for doing little more than converting O2 to CO2 and occupying space.

I honestly believe the milirltary needs to being back minimum TIG requirements and no one in a supervisory position should have served less than 8 years.
Rank is not a reward for doing well on a test, but a progression of career maturity.

It depends on several factors. One could be the level of expertise achieved previously or in training a man goes into the nuclear programme comes out in 85 I can't remember how long that program took but what's the level of security clearance level knowledge and the money invested you don't want that gentleman worrying about finances or anything. Then there's the maturity factor very few of us have a military school foundation behind us so it's going to take a couple years to learn be guarded discipline and flat-out learn how to be a good follower which a good follower will make a good leader. Then there was my situation. A ship out the great lakes graduate boot camp they send us next door to NTC so that I can become an engineman I was incredibly wise to utilize the tools around me such as this young man that was going to be going through the nuclear program and two weeks earlier completed the very program that I went through.very bored with his studies as it was not challenging at least at that point for him he was more than happy to sharpen my brain. The school was a self-paced school study material take the test study material take the test everyday I would take three or four tests score 100 on every test and then go home and study another four blocks of instruction and retest as soon as I got in. For a while they were watching me take my examinations. I was doing nothing illegal I was studying the material I had someone to help me retain that knowledge. I graduated top of my class they paid attention to my dream sheet sort of. I want of the tugboat out of the Philippines a tugboat out of California or tugboat out of Norfolk Virginia they gave me Yorktown weapons station no ragrets so two years went by and I found myself add an XO screening as I was doing the correct thing but the perception did not comply. But certainly let the truth be my shield I spoke the truth uxo was in agreement looking for my records he turned his head and looked past me for my chief turn his head to the left look for the back and so am I division officer and said why is this man here in fact why is it this man E4 he was an undergrad out of a school and here he stands before me as in E2 fireman apprentice. So two years prior come to my first command after boot camp in a school I should have been an E4 I guess it would have been what 18 months later going up for E5. So in a total of 2 years from E1 to E5 my contract was for 4 years so why decided to get out. The thing is you have to accumulate points I was on shore duty Year 2 going up for E4. You don't get any points for being on shore duty evals were gold. I can't remember how much PT had an effect but it was above the standard so all I had was my examination which I scored extremely high. I was able to sit in on the E5 exam at 3 years and 4 months mark. My PRD was change to my EAOS as they were reducing forces from the Cold war so once again no sea time no points.once again I scored crazy high on the test because I know my job but because competition with others in my bracket earning points at sea I was fortunate to barely make E5 with .018. I was frocked E5 and then early outed because reducing Force reenlist or get out 3 years 8 months. January 2005 join the army reserves as an E3 get this now October 2010 CW2 . I was in excellent physical condition much more experienced in life and leadership and technically. I was 42 in 2005 when I was 45 I went to fort rucker's Alabama to complete warrant officer candidate School.

1969 E6 in 90 days . Process in elimination E6 rotated home I was next in line . 9th Div. went home I went to 3/47th Mobile Riverines SS Benwa Dong Tam .

I have never seen anyone turn down a promotion.

I made E-5 in 11 months time in service in 1968.

I was lucky was promoted to Spec 4 early after 15 months then lateral to Cpl 3 months later while stateside then PCS’d to Germany and made E-5 at 2 years 3 months. This was back in mid to late 70’s and I joined the Army when I was almost 21. My dad was a Marine and I had to take care of his uniforms, boots and brass so my own always looked clean and creased. I took a lot of correspondence courses for points and did well in all assigned duties, I did get out after 3 years so I never knew where I would have retired at if I would have stayed in.

In the ARMY I made SGT in 4 years, SSG in 4 more years, and retired after 14 years as a SSG. A lot happened from 1987 to 2008: Panama, Desert Shield/Storm, Mogadishu, Bosnia, 9/11, Afghanistan, 2nd Desert Storm and more Afghanistan. As a medical Radiology specialist then as a NCO; over that time the requirements to be promoted change from peacetime to wartime to peacetime and back to wartime. I made mistakes and was bullheaded. I personally allowed my bullheadedness to interfere with my sense of responsibility, I did just enough PT to get by. I thought, at one duty station where I worked 12 hour days and was on call the rest of the time 24/7 for 1.5 years, that my leadership didn’t care enough to get me any help. I inside I rebelled, a mistake that allowed me to stay overweight, missing a recruiter assignment in 1995. I was later deselected for recruiter in 1998, which I attended; recruiting was a challenge for me, getting started was slow. Once I got started I enlisted more, (1999) but my weight problem ended that path. In 2001, returning from Honduras, 9/11 occurred, I wasn’t allowed to deploy, that is about when deployments became a promotion requirement for E-7. So, wanting to be a Radiology Instructor, for the first time in my career, I asked DA for an assignment. During 2002-03 I began as an instructor.

I was in the Navy and in the Army. I seen in both services where enlisted was getting promoted faster and quicker than their peers. We called it "Getting promoted by the Knee Pad Test". Most generally those whom advance faster & quicker than their peers usually don't know their Butt Hole from a hole in the ground and furthermore can't lead. I understand there is billet issue and that's where Frocking comes into play by a commander because the commander put his/her trust in him/her, but has to pass their MOS/Rating/SQT testing but not advanced. I think MOS/Rating/SQT testing should be across the board with all services. If one passes their MOS/Rating/SQT test then should be promoted IAW TIS & Billet availability. Get rid of promoting on the point system. The point system should be added based on their awards & accomplishments on the end of passing their MOS/Rating/SQT testing score. My last input is that someone with a college degree isn't any smarter than a person with or without a GED. Know your job, duties & responsabilities of the next rank, get promoted.