How does an E6 have 6 service stripes?

Maybe he's got broken service, maybe he switched branches, maybe he didn't feel a need to play politics and was content to retire as an E-6. Or maybe, just maybe, PFC O'Hara needs to go work on his own professional development and stop worrying about a senior NCOs career path.

Or, he could have missed deploying at the beginning of GWOT. Out of my friends, I was the only one who didn't see the box or the 'Stan before 2008. Even though I had the pumpkin patch, I had no combat anything. And it didn't help that my MOS is considered combat arms

And yet i don't really understand the point of whatever the question is here??

I'm a US Navy retiree, back in the day, an E-6 with six service striped meant he/she had 20 years of honorable service. In those days, promotions were far and in between for some skills, so many US Navy personnel retired as an E-6 after twenty years service. I myself spent eight years as an E-5 before promoted to E-6. Nowadays, one has to reach a certain pay grade in a certain amount of time or your're out. And during my time in the US Navy, I saw E-4's with six service stripes and they retired honorably.

Maybe it took that person that long to get promoted, or that person got demoted, or lacked the education or training, and therefore the reason for the 6 service stripes

There are countless of circumstances that can make a Soldier stagnant in their careers. In my case, I was on active duty and then I went to the reserve. Between that, I had a 7 years break in service. I came back to active duty as an AGR, and I was demoted to E-6. I regained my E-7 in 9 months, but there were few MSG slots in my MOS (56M), an none of then occupying those positions wanted to leave or retire. So, I end up retiring as an E-7 after I serve 9 years as an AGR.

Someone here put it best; he may be in an MOS which promotes very slow. He also may have had a break in service and, when he reupped, had to take a pay grade or two step back. This happened to me. I was a SSG for 6 years in the Reserve and Guard infantry and those PSGs/SFCs are there long term and so promotions stall at SSG. I got fed up, got out after 14 years, and reupped in the Reserve 6 years later. They made me come back as a SGT. They still made me do my 18 months time-in-grade
to make SSG. I did, but they wouldn't count my previous 6 years as a SSG and so I had to do the 21 months time-in-grade to make SFC. I was always told that I was an excellent NCO, I was respected highly, maxed my APFT, and was very proficient in my MOS, yet still, at one point, was only a SSG at 16 years. This guy might be a stellar NCO, but is just a victim of circumstance(s).

I did, I was comfortable where I was at and then I picked up my 7

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Anyone figure he just likes being an E-6? Maybe refused to go higher because of the politics? Or just knows that he will have to transfer from a great unit if he hits E-7? Come on people, no right to ASSume and shit on someone, seriously it's a fricking picture, if you know the guy then great, shut up and don't talk about him behind his back... if you don't know they guy, shut up and quit talking crap about someone you don't even know! He's serving honorably just like the rest of us are, or have!
</RANT>

He may have been prior service or served in a different branch of the military and in either of those cases you would most likely take a rank reduction if not have to start all over. besides the obvious.