How does an E6 have 6 service stripes?

You never know someone's story if you don't ask them. Everyone's experience is different. I met an E4 in AIT that could have went to ocs after enlist because he had a master's degree. Instead he chose to enter and get enlisted time in service before going officer. He said he didn't feel right coming in and being an officer without doing any of the leg work first.

My last few years were on division staff. It was "voluntary" that all sr nco's attend the monthly retirement ceremony. At one of them I was standing beside the G3 SGM when the families went out to the formation to stand with their retiring soldier. The SGM says, "look at the SSGs, they've got families." They did, wives, two or three kids, sometimes four or five. Then he said look at the MSGs and Sergeant Majors." Most of them stood alone or at best with a trophy wife of recent vintage. He finished with a simple statement, "it's all about where they put their priorities, family or army, family or promotion."
I thought my family would sacrifice like I did for the Army, instead I sacrificed two families to the Army. My inability to balance Army and family had done that.
Don't write them off as turd burglar's, maybe they have different (healthier?) Priorities.

I have a friend that retired from the Navy as an E-5 (Petty Officer 2nd Class). He didn't have any Article 15s, he just had multiple breaks of service and every time he went back in he was set backwards in rank from what he had been in his previous enlistment and had to start over.

Sometimes it's just what makes folks happy. I had to cross train (or Kiss my commander's....) I cross trained. A fellow member was just happy to retire at E-6, I made E-7 that was my goal. My career was pretty political. I still loved it. Would have been nice to make E-8 or 9 but life is short too!

I was one of those with 6 service stripes and multiple deployments similar to the NCO pictured. You'll also note that there isn't a lot of fluff on his rack. He probably doesn't give a damn about multiple AAM's either and I'd bet this man wouldn't write his own award if his career depended on it. All-in-all, he probably has a high degree of integrity and doesn't give a damn about being an office jockey.

I entered service in 1991. My reasons for not progressing in rank encompass multiple breaks in service, several MOS changes, a general lack of interest in sitting in an office, enjoying being a subject matter expert at my chosen profession and a complete lack of faith in the senior NCO and officer corp. to adequately protect my soldiers. At no time in my career was I ever busted down in rank.

What you should be looking at with absolute confusion is not an NCO with a lot of time in service and numerous deployments. It should be that CSM with a lot of awards and one combat stripe with 25 years in service. That's the shit-bag.

That is posible. If he was in the reserves or National guard.

I was Navy, and retired as an E-6 and made that at the 6 yr mark. I made the board for 11 yrs but was never promoted, my evals we 3/8-4/0. Back then you had to have 4 yrs per hash mark, when I retired at 20 yrs I had 5 Gold hash marks, and the only way to get the gold is to have not been to Captians Mast or worst for at least 12 yrs. I put my first gold has marks on at the 12 yr mark. My rate was very tight and they did not advance many. I was a Radioman on Submarines and made over 20 patrols, so just MAYBE his MOS was just as TIGHT as mine.

Same situation during my time, but for different ranks. We started in one of the first COHORT Light Infantry BCT/ICT and then to Unit. My Company alone was 320 guys. At the end of a 3 year hitch, we only had 10 people make SPC, and only 1 make it to Cpl. due to the slots given to the Company, and the fact everyone one lattyda had same time in service. If you wasn't the "King" nut/best ball kisser, you didn't get those slots....So this is exactly what we went through. This SSG was probably held up by no slots/to many qualified/passed over reason or other, none of which is his fault. Shit happens!

When I served in the early-mid 60's I can remember E-4 that had 20 years in the Corps. They were men who were from the "Old Breed". Men from WW2 and Korea and were proven Marine warriors who went up and down the rank structure more than once. They knew and did their jobs in a superior manner but had some difficulty adjusting to their off duty time. In those days we were not as familiar with PTS and its impact on individuals.

Each stripe represents 6 months in a combat zone I personally was a E-5 with 6 stripes also.