How does an E6 have 6 service stripes?

It is very possible that he had a break in service or transferred from a reserve component to an active component. At either option if given the right criteria, it may have resulted in a reduction in rank in order to transfer or enlist. Never judge a book by the cover.

There are only two possible answers to that question. The firsts that he is not as smart as you think. The second is that at some point in his 24 years he was busted for something. Are you a good enough friend to ask him?

Time in service is one way to get Service stripes and other awards and decorations. It's not uncommon for E5 Ssgts to have three or more Service stripes or other decorations. Don't ask somebody else, who might have a jealousy stripes across their forehead, how the wearer can have so many. If enquiring mi n ds want to know, ask the wearer himself. He'll either tell you or not.

My service stripes go down one sleeve at end it says continue onto next arm, at the end I'm happily retired and collecting my pay. Don't worry about the petty stuff

How about that NCO holds a MOS that only has a few slots in the Army. I belonged to one of those 25M, MultiMedia Specialist. There are only 300 people in that MOS Army wide. PFC O’Hara you need to pull your head from your 4th point of contact and think before you post.

He could be in an MOS that has locked him at SSG. He could be National Guard and capped out in his unit. There are many reasons for a soldier to be in for 18 years and be an E-6. I know a lot of people including my supply SGT who retired as E-6 because they loved their job. Supply at the unit level caps out at E-6. If you are AGR (Active Guard Reserve) you may go up and down in rank to maintain your active position when unit MTOE changes. If your unit changes your current position as E-7 could change to E-6 and to stay in that unit you will have to take a reduction in rank. I had seen it dozens of times. My MSG was close to retirement and took a rank reduction so another younger E-7 could get promoted. He was my mentor and the one who pinned on my SFC rank. He retired with 42 years of service as LTC. He had been rifted by a general that didn’t like him. He helped write the first 10 & 20 manual for Field Artillery in the 60’s as a Major. When we were in Japan in 1994, the commanding general of the Japanese Ground Self Defense Forces made his entire entourage wait in our area for 20 minutes so he could spend some time with MSG Boardman. Don’t judge a book by its cover & never judge a soldier by his sleeves!

Well PFC let me help you out here. I'm an E6 with 20 years in March. I'm AGR (Active Duty National Guard) and I'll have 20 years federal service 2025. So let me answer your question why I have 6 service stripes.
TITLE 10 moves/PCS every 2-3 years. Me title 32 AGR same exact pay, BAH, BAS, tricare prime remote, etc etc as an Active Duty member. However I do NOT have to move, I own 2 houses, and about to buy a 3rd. All my mortgages combined are less than a shitty trailer outside any post for rent. Bottom line I love where I live and raise my family and when I retire it will all be damn near or fully paid off! I'm playing the financial long game that Benefits ME, not as concerned about extra rockers.
Oh and if you want to say nasty girls or any other BS towards the guard and me. 2 deployments to Afghanistan, CIB, BSM, blah blah and a 3rd to GTMO.

I retired with 21 yrs as an SSG. MOS was slow to make rank in my Trans Unit. I saw a lot of promotions to E-5 and Spec 4 when we where deployed to Desert Storm in 1990. Nothing above that.

Simple answer. Since promotion to E7 SFC is centralized at DA, he is an E6 SSG most likely because there is not an available billet for another E7 SFC in his/her MOS. I knew many great NCO's that retired as SSG's.

After two Active Army Tours, I went to a Special Forces Reserve Unit. They were wonderful soldiers, and I would deploy with them at any time, but paperwork & administration were not their strong suits. I was pegged at E-6 with 15 years in, because they could not get me into an NCOES course that was required for promotion. With the deactivation of the Group, I went to a Drill Sergeant Unit. Upon getting Drill Sergeant qualified and completing ANCOC, I went from E-6 to E-8 in two years. Sometimes, the administrative "stars" just have to line up.