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

I went from E-1 to E-6 in 6 years and was going to make E-7 at my 9 year mark but was medically retired just shy of 9 years in. I joined in 1999 when I was 20 so I was a little more mature than a lot of us are when we join. I did know some FCs and other technical rates that made rank far too young and fast. Some were good leaders and some were simply poor managers due to their youth and immaturity. It all depends on the individual.

I don’t think there is such a thing as making rank to soon. I have a daughter who will pin in E7 in the Marines in under 9 years. I can see her making Sergeant Major before here career ends.

Yes it is a person does have military experience in three years

In times of war, promotions are given to those who deserved it. I'm happy to say I was blessed from PFC to LCpl field promotion because of what happened in Vietnam.

In my early days, I had a supervisor put on chief after 14.5 years. Great guy but ends up he had a lot of issues at home and was discharged because of them. Then had a friend go from E-5 to E-7 in 2 days because the general he worked for only wanted senior NCOs working for him. Went to his head and never talked with him again. That general became chief of staff and was shortly fired along with his staff. Friend ended up getting out as a pariah.

In some MOS'S you can make rank fairly quickly. I knew an E-6 when I was in Germany in 1988, and she got promoted to E-7 in 2000.

Unless the person wearing a certain rank did something that displayed to me that he(or she ) did not know what they were doing, it did not bother me. I know many times that in the case of officers, they were asked how they got their commission. It did bother me that after my boss made major with 8 years and 4 months TIG as a CPT, I had a long wait also.

Yes, and it will be heavily apparent in their attitude towards their subordinates who will likely have more time I service than they do. I had someone like that at my first unit. He had a high and mighty attitude because he made E5 in 3 years, and he only got E5 because of his PT score (but nobody will ever admit to that). He wasn't a leader. He didn't have the interest of his subordinates in mind. He only cared about himself and how he could get promoted again. He saw the military as a ladder to climb as fast as possible, like going for a high score in a video game. I didn't respect him at all, and I don't care what UCMJ says - he didn't deserve it.

In the fall of 1967 they took all of the E-4 and E-5 promotion allotments that had not been used and turned them back to the companies to fill. The time in grade was waived and all it took was an excellent conduct and efficiency report and you had it. They even skipped grades and went from E-2 right out of AIT to SP5. I has 2 years and change in the Army and I received a lateral promotion to Sgt E-5 so I wouldn't have to pull KP. SP5 had to do KP and other duties that were normally assigned to a lower rank. We had all these guys running around with rank they didn't work for and no idea of what to do. This was at Fort Belvoir Virginia, I don't know what happened elsewhere but I imagine it was the same. I made up my mind then and there that when Aug 30, 1968 came I was long gone.

Yes. I made E5 back in 1979 with only 24 months of active duty. I was only 20 years old and had a big head and no clue what I was doing. Fortunately I had a super great E9 who straightened me out. Made E6 at the 5 year mark ( which I think was too early) and had an OCS recommendation.