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

Depends on the person. If it makes the person an ***, then yes, it was too soon. But No E6 outranks an officer and they come in as children, so it's subjective.
Personally, and this is kind of funny; I'm 19 years in, 8 years overseas, Master's degree, no UCMJ, and I'm an E5 who LOVES seeing high-speeds make their 6, in three. I think it's amazing!

When I was in 1967-69 they had NCO Academies they started right after basic and AIT. The program was six months and you graduated as E-5. The top 10% of the class came out E-6. This with less than a year in service and being 19 years old. When they got to Vietnam some already knew it all. The good ones asked for help. Same with officers. Some 2nd lieutenants didn't need any advice. Then there was a new company commander, a captain and a West Pointer. First thing he said was, "I don't know a f**king thing. I want you guys to teach me. And if i start to screw up, stop me before I get into too much trouble". He learned and fast. Had respect for him from day one.

Yes, it is very possible to be promoted one to two years below the primary zone. On many occasions it deals with political influence of some sort. The issue we have here is someone being promoted below a primary zone may have filled a bunch of squares on an annual fitness report, and is great at the " book learning" aspect of military manpower and weapons management, but may not have the critical thinking that needs to go with it. Spending another year in a current rank or job may provide you with observation and problem solving, which you may not have seen if you had been promoted early. A lot of it deals with maturity and being able to appraise a situation from a number of points of view. The pros and cons of an action on the battlefield by leadership is exceedingly important. The element in the field with the weapon may be reactive, and it is a leaders job for him/her to be proactive. You are exposed to a larger bag of tools to be able to do this if your career is not sitting on the accelerator.

E6 in 3 years? Sure. if you entered the Army with a 4 year degree, or have seen heavy combat and your unit has seen heavy casualties, like Audie Murphy, and there are vacancies. Heck, Custer was a brigadier general in 2 years. The promotions are temporary, but enough time, and it becomes your guaranteed retirement rank, if you never earn it back.

I joined the Navy in 1964 as a E-1. I went to A school and in two years was E-4.
I took the E-5 test, and in 1966 I entered Oak Knoll Naval Hospital and spent one year as a patient. I was told I could not get E-5 while in the hospital. I was eventually put on the TDRL for 6 years before the Navy said I was totally disabled, Officially Retired USN. At the time it seemed like the worst thing. However, the retirements benefits have helped my and my family a lot. The biggest issue has been the VA as it changed my from 100% disabled to 50 for several years. In 1995 the VA finally came to the conclusion they were wrong, and gave me the 100% service connected award. At 76 I have spent several years total in the hospital, this last year was over 100 days.
What gets me is men my age that somehow got out of serving during 1965 to 1975.

It depends on the individual. Are they mature enough to take on that responsibility? A lot has changed since 76 when I joined and 85 when I got out. I was put in for the E-6 board at 4 years 9 months. Which at that time was the soonest you could go. The time limit was at least 5 years at that time, however you had to wait for promotion 3 months after you passed the board, therefore you would be promoted on the month of your 5th year. I joined at the age of 17 years and 16 days old. That means I was put up at the age of almost 22. Thepint system at that time for my MOS was very high so I had to wait a year and a half more to get promoted. 23 anda half I finally got my stripe. There were MANY 23 year olds I would have never put up for promotion at that age. Example, when I was on recruiting duty a very young E-6 who was single couldn't keep his "johnson" in his pants and was court martialed for "doing a female senior who was in high school".

I always have had the hardest time with SSgts in their mid 20s. They seem to enjoy the power way too much and have a lack of control, sort of "just because you can, doesn't mean you should". Besides noticing it in person, I've noticed on here, the most disrespectful posters have usually been SSgts.

Well, I'm not too sure if I should be answering this or not, but here goes. The answer off the top deck is yes. There are several reasons for this. Experience comes to mind. The longer you're in the more mistakes you will make, and those mistakes make you wiser and help you guide the young POs. "ASK THE CHIEF"! There is a reason for that comment; he is a teacher, he knows more work arounds than Carter's got pills, he has a vast network of other Chiefs, and most of all he has command respect from the Bridge. Let me ask you a question. In a combat situation when your ship is in dire straits but still fighting and you need someone you can count on and who has been in the fight before, will you choose the Red Stripe Chief or the Gold Stripe Chief with that crusty nasty cigar hanging out of his mouth? I'm "old school". Next to the "Old man", who do you think really runs the boat, Right, it's the COB. Did you know in the Coast Guard there is so much respect and confidence in Chiefs that O-in-Cs have UCMJ authority, and they are Commanding Officer's Afloat? Few know that. Why do we have Gold Badges for Chiefs only and not officers? Where do we select the CWO community from? There is a sound foundation behind the value of "Old Salt". As for my head swelling two time larger than a bollard when I made Chief, the Chief's Mess had an answer for that; Chief's Initiation, the purpose of which was to deflate that oversized head of yours, refocus what your real function at the junction is, and to take with pride when someone says, "GO ASK THE CHIEF". Long answer to a highly philosophical and leadership quandary, but it demands not a snap answer, but one of thought and this one really is only the tip of the iceberg. As a sea service, the Navy and Coast Guard are steeped in naval tradition which we inherited from the Royal Navy in the 1700 and 1800s, which at that time ruled the waves until we came along. Who do you think was responsible, some Dandy on the Quarterdeck or some crusty scared up Leading Bosn on the main deck? Who do you think the crew would follow? My only regret is that the Chiefs' Initiation has become nothing more than a soiree and does nothing to strengthen the community nor deflate those swollen nobs on their shoulders. There is value in the comradery in the Chief's Mess of which there are many and varied.

I is not unheard of but it is the person and and their abilities which come with time and training. You can be book smart and a go getter but that alone doesn't make you a leader. I made E 5 in four years and E 6 in eight years. Leaders will be made, stripes mean nothing if you cannot lead.

I made Petty Officer 1st Class (E-6) in just under 6 years, which was considered fairly fast in the Navy at the time. I took the test for Chief (E-7) on a waiver for time in rate and time in service, but was not selected by promotion board so I got out with just under 9years active duty.

I only saw one sailor while I was in that made E-6 faster than that and he was an electronics instructor at NATTC Memphis with a degree in Electronics (and he was about the same age as I was when I made E-6, 24). He was promoted to E-6 in 4 years (and it was under special circumstances with numerous waivers).