What Rank Was The Most Challenging But Rewarding?

DC1 cause I went from working on the deck plates to working in an office. I did learn one thing though, I hate paper work.

1st LT. wasn’t a shave tail anymore, but wasn’t really considered “command” grade till I had railroad tracks. However, LOTS of responsibility and ALL the headaches!

Sgt - E5 on the day I was promoted June 1, 1977, I was made Platoon Sgt of some of the most inglorious bastards whoever walked this earth. Their performance was the worst in Garrison, but we were always number one in the field.

SSG in the position of Platoon Sergeant

When I made SGT/E5, had more responsibilities, but it was well worth the headaches @RallyPoint News

SSgt E-6 at the age of 19(!). Made blood stripe rocker weeks before DEROS back to the states(highly doubtful at times) in July`69 to finish out last year of enlistment. Extremely challenging motivating grunts in HEAVY combat, most of whom were draftees. "Black Power" & anti-war demos, particularity in my home state of CA, were at their height. Frankly, couldn't blame either movement. Martin Luther King & Robert Kennedy had both been assassinated within months of deployment. Officer & lifer fraggings had just started.
We had taken huge losses after being surrounded by 000's of NVA who poured over Cambodia in attempt to capture a provincial capitol... An Loc being one our battalion was tasked to protect. Intense contact in the rubber plantations & multiple ambushes. In 3 months we went from mech platoon TO&E strength of 44 (10/squad+driver for APC) when i reported to 14 the day i got out of field. Word had it the replacements we supposed be getting, were "disappearing" from copter pads in rear after learning they'd been assigned to 2/2 Inf.
To the credit of good officers (& us surviving NCO's)* all the way up to battalion commander we did our duties & drove the ____'s back across the border with huge losses! We went thru 3 CO's + 3 Lt's in our platoon! With few exceptions, our citizen soldiers fought tough & did their jobs. Few knew my age since nearly all were older than i = not an issue in the field. However, did run into alot of flak when arrived Ft Riley & was immediately made a platoon sgt in charge of career NCO's, newbie officers, & of course, it was full of pissed off draftees & brothers.

But that was a whole 'nother set of challenges, missions accomplished, & rewards. But i survived to turn 20(!).

* OK, OK, and you "air jocks" & arty.

I was an ensign --lowest of the low among Navy officers--and assigned to Naval Reactors, the offices of VAdm. Hyman Rickover, commander of the Navy's nuclear fleet. Rickover was a notoriously tough boss; among much else, he believed that merit was more important that rank. So he never used titles; whether you were a Seaman Deuce or an Admiral, Rickover called you by your last name. And he treated all ranks the same.
One day Rickover called me into his office, in his characteristic fashion--"Doggone it, Reid, get your ass in here!" Standing in front of his desk was a 30-year Navy veteran, a former submarine CO-- a Rear Admiral named Greer. Of course this was fairly terrifying for a newly-minted ensign, to be in the presence of two Admirals. Rickover didn't care about any of that. He and Greer had been arguing about something, and Rickover knew that I would take his side of the dispute. So as I stood there trembling in the presence of all that brass, Rickover shouted at me: "Reid, tell Greer why he's full of crap!."

Day two of Navy boot camp. Was given the title (RLPO) Recruit Leading Petty Officer. We had 80 recruits and was incharge of 70. Sent to marching party because of recruits fouling up under my leadership. The next four hours changed my position as a leader from that day forward. The reward was my company becoming one of the best to graduate in June 1991 in San Diego, CA. Anyone who knows what marching party consists of would understand, if you ever needed get right in your life, Naval boot camp marching party will do the job. Hahahahaha Hahahahaha

Colonel, was able to influence more high level positive organizational change.

SPC4 you were close to E5 but still had responsibilities to lead those below you. Plus I called it Command SP4, because of the eagle in the middle of the rank.