How does an E6 have 6 service stripes?

Why don't you ask your team leader before taking to social media.

PFC O' Hara, I'm a Air Force TSGT (E-6) in my 20th year of service. (Yes that is an NCO.) I'm also a SAAM mission planner and a C-5 instructor loadmaster with a four-year degree, a 2 year degree, and no Article 15's. How does that happen? It's called loving the work you do but not drinking the company Kool-Aid. Here's to the endangered species known here and there as "subject matter expert."

In my day it wasn't uncommon. As a matter of fact I knew a spec 4 who retired after 22 years of service. He kept getting promoted to Sgt and hated being in charge and would get himself busted. But that was before the Army had an up or out policy.

Is this Soldier regular or reserves? I was an Gunnery Sergeant E7 and had to take a reduction to SSgt E6 when I went into the Army Reserves. A bit later I transferred to Army National Guard as a Sgt E5. I had 13 years in at that point. Many years later I was a SSG as I retired for the first time and was promoted to SFC on the day of my retirement. Since I met the requirements for retiring with my highest rank, it was done on my final day. I came out of retirement to do my thing in the War on Terror. I was allowed to return, but I had to go back in as a SGT E5. I had 8 service stripes on my dress uniform and SGT stripes on my sleeve. Again, when I retired after coming back from Iraq, I was once again promoted to SFC on my last day.

Point is, there are all kinds of stories about why people have the service stripes that may not seem right according to what is on their sleeve. It shouldn't be a big deal.

I had a friend that was a First Sergeant in Vietnam. He had an altercation with an office while in combat. After the action, he was reduced to E-3. The court of military appeals returned him to an SFC. He had 24 years service. The Assault was considered justified whn another appeal was presented with evidence of the need to immediately quite the officer. He was returned to E-8, and retired as a First Sergeant.

A lot of possibilities. He may have broken time. I don't know if the Army does this but in the Marines, if you get released from active duty and are out a couple years you will lose at least one strip if not more depending on how long. When I was in, a guy re-enlisted after being out over ten years. He left as a Sgt and came back in as a LCpl. And, certain fields, promotions are very slow in coming.

I knew a SP4 who had 20 years in

I had 20 years of service. I was active, then reserves and finally national guard. There were several brakes in service and also 6 years inactive reserves. My last brake was about 19 years and then I came back in due to the need for personnel for GWOT. The only slot open in the NG unit was as an E-5, there were no E-6 slots. So I was an E-5 with 6 service slots (almost 7).

I retired in 1990 as an SSG, at that time I had about 10 years in grade. A few months after I graduated from ANCOES in 1983 in Ft Bliss they stopped promotions to SFC due to overstrength and since everyone was about the same age there wasn't an opening to get promoted. They may have promoted a couple every year but it was a very few. Every Battery I PCS to always had more SSG's that they needed. Since I had other skills I was always greeted with joy, that's until Ft Campell, but that's another story with Sen Sasser of Tennessee.

I retired as a SSG. Made SFC but did not stay the required 2 years the reserves wanted. 92 lima MOS not a lot of E-7 slots. They actually promoted me to SFC as a 92 fox in a unit I did not want to be in so I retired with 21 years of service.