What's the most unusual way you have seen someone receive notification of promotion?

Feb 28, 1980, I was in the terminal of McGuire AFB- waiting on my flight for a PCS to Germany. While there, I bought a copy of Army Times. Happened to be the issue with promotion points - It was the first month I would be eligible- lo and behold the points had drop some 50-100 points from the previous months - well, I walked on the plane as an E-5 - and the next day when we arrived in Frankfurt - I got off (technically) as an E-6!

Way back in 1969 I was a student at DLI, Monterey CA, studying the Japanese language. Received notice to report to Commander of Troops, a Nisei LTC noted for his strict attitude. I reported immediately. He looked me up and down and said “Chief, you are out of uniform”. I looked over my greens and told him I thought I was in proper uniform. He repeated that I was out of uniform. I searched again with negative results. I stood there silently, awaiting his wrath. Instead, he reached into his desk and pulled out a set of CW3 bars and said, for the third time, that I was out of uniform. That was how I was informed that I had been promoted. He then smiled, the only time in the year I was there that I saw that smile.

We always nick named the wives "the Sargent Major," when they called. One time my Platoon Sgt (much like Barak Obama) called his wife "Sir."

When I was first considered for MSG (E8) in the Army, I was in the Individual Ready Reserve, and I received two letters from the promotion board. The first advised that I had been considered, but was not promoted. Up in the top left corner of the letter was the number "89". The second letter arrived a few days later advising me that I had been promoted. Up in the top left corner of the letter was the number "89". Apparently, "89" was my sequence number on the list and I was promoted the next month. No one could ever explain the first letter.

I was a Buck Sergeant tasked with taking a Jeep with a driver to a military training area to provide coverage as a Forward Observer for 30 days. I had coordinated with the driver to have the pre-loaded Jeep, trailer and equipment in front of the Company at 0545 ready to roll. 0545 came and went with no Jeep or driver in sight. 0605 I was called into the 1SGs office, called to attention, and was chewed up one side and down the other. The 1SG told me I was in violation of the UCMJ for failure to make movement, pulled open his desk drawer stating that he was going to throw the book at me. He was a 5 foot Puerto Rican who could make even the hardest seasoned veteran cringe. He reached into the desk and pulled out a set of SSG stripes, hit me in the chest with them, yelled at me to get in uniform and get out of his office. The door to the Commanders office opened, there stood the Commander, my Platoon Sergeant, and my Wife all smiles while I just about wet myself. After a small celebration I headed out still shaken while my driver chuckled all the way.

That's the same way I got spec4. Freaked me out.

this reminds me of something that happened to me I was an E-3 and was in charge of the QC of wheeled vehicals for my unit I had an E-5 come up to me and demand that I QC his vehical and that I pass it, at that point I knew just by his attitude he probably did not do his PMCS so we get out to the parking area and I see one vehical covered in mud and ask him "is that muddy vehical yours?" he says "yes" so I said "deadlined" and started to walk off he started yelling at me and telling me to drop mind you I also had a permanint profile for a broken coller bone, anyway I then told him that it was clear he did not do his PMCS as step one of the PMCS was wash your vehical, and I had better things to do then have him waist my time and if he had a problem with the way I did my job then he needed to talk with my section sargent (E-6), so I went and did the QC for a E-4 that was allways respectfull of me and found 1 problem but rather then deadlining the vehical I asked him to hand me a wrence and tighted the bolt for him since I was under the vehical anyway, then passed his vehical, he told me i did not have to do that but i told him about the E-5 and that he had always been respecful so had no issue with helping him out we ended up having a good laugh at the E-5's expence then when I got back to the office I seen the E-5 at parade rest getting chewed out by my section sargent, a few months latter i had another run in with the same E-5 and a similar insident happened again when I was put in charge of doing some inventory for the unit after that I got told that since I not only was handeling dutys supervising others during the inventory check but that i also handled the issues the way an E-4 should that I was to expect a promotion in a month, that never happened though as I was medicaly discharge for my sholder injory 2 weeks latter.

In September oI 1989, was in the Air Guard on temporary active duty with the NGB at Andrews AFB.
I knew a promotion was somewhere in the paper mill of the ANG. The first few days I went to work wearing my blue shirt with Tsg stripes sewn on the sleeves. One afternoon I was told there was a FAX for me. I went to the ftont desk and collected the FAX.
I said nothing then but I headed to the BX right after work and bought a set of Msg epaulets for the new shirt I had without stripes. The next stop was billeting where I got transferred from NCO quarters to SNCO quarters.
The next day, I went to work wearing my new MSG insignia wondering how long it would take for coworkers to notice (about 5 minutes).
The only downside was the money I spent for a small promotion party at Andrews AFB AND and a larger promotion party when I was back at the Air National Guard base.

Glad to see some commands still have some fun with executing a promotion. I remember getting promoted to E7 in Coast Guard. Base Ketchikan AK. Got my usual hazing meal in the CPO mess. Eating my entire meal out of a trough with boxing gloves on. Then getting word from XO via some personnel floozie that XO had not seen promo letter, much less signed it. So back into dress blues as ET1. Then assigned as duty driver for night. Drove CO to his residence and that was about it. At 0900 the next morning I was Called to COs office and directed to get into the proper uniform. The CO had overridden the XO’s “little joke”.

Congratulations

LCDR Arthur Whittum - The XO crossed the line from practical joke, to painful. Not cool!

When I went to Torri Station, Okinawa I was 18. In the first 6 months I learn Ed I did t handle booze well. My 1sgt was everywhere I went and all over my butt. One day I got a call from 1sgt Cromly to get my ass to the orderely room, now. I ran trying to figure out what I had done because I was on the straight path for several months. I entered his office, scRedas hell. He said to report to the CO. The CO scowled at me for what seemed like an hour, stood up, handed me promotion order to SP 4 and shook my hand. I turned and the 1sgt had a huge smile on his face and shook my hand never saw him smile before or after.