How does an E6 have 6 service stripes?

It is really hard to tell, but it looks like that SSG is wearing the MI crest. Since non of the PFC's have Beret Emblems I am assuming this is an AIT graduation photo. Which means the SSG in the photo is probably an instructor, so not only is he in a very small branch, he is also been a career instructor, and there may not be many E-7 slots.

But is also possible that there are slots, but for whatever reason the points needed for advancement basically close the field at the E-6 level. It is hard to get 1000 points if your pt score is average, and you shoot average.

Great question Private. So a Staff Sergeant with 18 years of service is not that uncommon. Really depends on his MOS. There are alot of MOS groups that have alot of people vying for promotion and there just are not enough promotions to go around. Also you have a fair amount of Soldiers that are comfortable doing what they are doing and have a boat load of experience as a team leader and dont necessarily want to move up. With promotion to Sergeant First Class comes more responsibility and more expectations. Some folks dont want that are are content with their current position. Now the Army doesnt approve of status quo so you might hear folks talk about up or out. I.e. do what you need to do to get promoted and strive to climb the rank ladder or get out. BLUF as a 42A Soldier you can do alot of research about promotions and MOS professional development schools to see how it actually affects Soldiers in certain MOS groups. One other point, you will most definitely see National Guard Soldiers with alot of service stripes but maybe not alot of stripes or chevrons on their uniform. Simply put, often enough they cannot get their required MOS professional development course, BLC, ALC, etc, so they languish as a Staff Sergeant for years because there are not enough school quotas offered to Guard Soldiers as Active Component Soldiers. So no school no promotion, but you keep doing your job to the best of your ability until you can complete your schooling and eventually get promoted. Hope this helps explain alittle. BTW when yiu see something like dont ever assume that something is wrong, i.e. he must be wearing the wrong things. You have to understand the big picture, get the facts dont just go with what you see.

I'm an E-5 with 26 years service. My service stripes touch my PO-2 chevrons. I spent almost 12 years in the USAF and got out for a couple years. Went into the USA and had to start all over as E nobody. After 6 years the USA got rid of all MASH units (except 1 they keep around for R&D) so I switched to the USN assigned to the USMC. They gave me a temporary rank of PO-2 while I did all the requirements to keep it. During this time I went "Marine Regs". My "Navy side" CO hated Marine Regs Corpsman and ordered us out of the USMC Service Dress. I did the research on regulations and fought it. His superiors agreed with me and us Corpsmen kept of USMC Service Dress. I passed every promotion test after that. My results always came back, "Passed, not promoted". Seems Commander Izavich got butt hurt by an E-5 that knew regulations and wasn't afraid to challenge rank when it was wrong.

Mandatory removal date is somewhere around 20 years federal active service for the pay grade E-6, aka Army Staff Sergeant so it is plausible as not everyone is selected for promotion to the pay grade of E-7. Plus too, the SSG may have had several "good" years of service in a Reserve Component thus warranting service stripes. So yup, you can be a Staff Sergeant with 6 service stripes on your uniform.

There was a time in the army, maybe still, that MOS’s were full. And due to the promotion points so high, some Soldiers even great Soldiers could not get promoted due to no vacancies for E-7 at the time for his or her MOS. I knew a Soldier who was in 19.5 years as a SSG and didn’t pin SFC until he had already submitted his retirement. He stayed the additional 3 years so he could retire as an E7. Do think anything bad of a Soldier just because it’s hard to get promoted.

I spent my entire Army career as a technician. First as a Pershing Electronics Specialist (21G) and then as TMDE (35H). Promotions came slow. At one point, I had 960 of a possible 1000 promotion points and STILL I couldn't get promoted. If you aren't in one of the combat MOS's, odds are pretty good that promotions may not come as quickly. . .

A stagnant mos, I saw specialists retire in the early 80s

POSTED, EDITED "4 YEARS AGO" There is NO VALID REASON, nor CHEAP EXCUSE to repost this trash. To whomsoever reposted this title, please leave this invaluable site to real issues. No one was appointed as the neighborhood fence gossip. - who has no idea of this person's experience, expertise, nor personality. But we do know a bit about someone else...you, ourselves, family, friends and companion.

I have a friend who was a DS on active duty. He has been an E6 for a minute because he opted to extend which to people not familiar would look like he took too long to promote. In truth at that time you didn’t have to make career progression if you were on the trail. He’s got a very nice service record.
Everyone has their story.
I have more service stripes than some E4s on active duty, I had a medical issue that took a while after a Back surgery to resolve causing me to be a PFC a bit longer than I’d have wanted.
Everyone has their career and their individual accomplishments. Some just take different paths.
It seems to me SSG Kemp has provided a very solid answer.

My experience has been for some NCOs it is the job satisfaction. I know quite a few NCOs who love their job so much, they are willing to turn down a promotion to stay where they are. The benefits are obvious, institutional knowledge is passed on and the unit has stable middle leadership. When they do take that well deserved promotion, most I have talked to felt it time to move on. They knew they trained the next leader and they were ready to go to the next level. I benefitted from this type of mentoring and made me a more effective leader.