How does an E6 have 6 service stripes?

This is one of those shady side eye comments. I'm proud of all who have served no matter what their rank and time in service is. This shows me that you need to do a little more studying before YOU advance to the next rank...

I was a E-5 for 18 straight years. I wanted to remain as a Crew Chief on Flight Status and declined year after year to be promoted. I logged more than 3000 flight hours and 500 combat flight hours as a 67T/15T.

Ok. Before everyone starts sounding like FOX news, look at the picture, really look. An E-6, under normal circumstances, can't stay in the Army for more then 20 years unless he/she is promotable. with that said, these soldiers just graduated from one of the Military Intelligence Schools at Ft. Huachuca. The E6 looks like he was Combat Arms and is reclassifying probably due to in combat related injury(s) that would keep him from maintaining a P1 profile.

Nothing out of the ordinary, he is a SSG. I am impressed with his combat campaign stipes on his other sleave. An Army NCOs uniform tells the story of where this Soldier has been and what they have accomplished. Rank, fortunately or unfortunately does not always tell the whole story. A SSG can retire with 20 years in, fairly normal.

I find it interesting that you are more interested in the service stripes on his left sleeve, than the overseas stripes on his right.

I know plenty of helicopter crew chiefs and flight engineers that would avoid promotion to keep flying and doing the mission. Sometimes it's not the money (or rank) but the mission.

Back before the Retention Control Boards started after Desert Shield/Desert Storm, I knew E-4s that retired from the Air Force and I knew a Navy E-5 with gold rank (means he didn't get in trouble) on his sleeves who retired at 20 years.

Simple math shows that he has 18+ years. A lot of SSG retire at 20 years, making E7 is hard in a lot of MOS's.

think of it this way you have 2 pyramids one upside down (the combat arms side of the of the house)
and the other right side up (services and support side of the house).
The Combat arms side sees a lot of movement with promotions and you will see the bulk of the Army's Corporals on that side.
On the services and support side you have a lot of room at the bottom but not enough room for a whole lot of movement going up in promotion so you don't see a whole lot of need for Corporals on that side and when you do they either came from the combat arms side or their units MTOE has a spot for one.
So somebody who is an E-6 and lots of stripes could have come from somewhere where there is not a lot of movement for promotion it was that way for me when I left the combat arms for the other side of the house, an E6 and a whole lot of stripes when I retired from the Army.
and maybe somebody got busted down it is what it is and not for us to question a whole lot but I hope I gave you an idea of what it could be.

Easy, he has 18+ years of service. I retired with 20 years of service and have six myself.