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

Lieutenant General awarded a double on the spot promotion to one of my guys in Fabrication Ssgt to Msgt who really deserved it. I was extraordinarily happy for him. So many people get tucked away somewhere and they are doing a superb job with no recognition. Yes, I realize that being the best at what you do is standard but this man went far and above. He deserved it and never saw it coming.

In Japan, there is this popular style of Sushi restaurant that's automated, it doesn't have any waiters or waitresses. You either grab what looks good from this rotating carousel, or use the touch screen to order something specific to your table, and this train brings it to you. Our Production Superintendent, a MSgt, was having his going away there on his last day, and he ordered a dish from the chef, but in place of the food was a big cup with tack-on SMSgt stripes, some coins, and his certificate of promotion. Then, from the other side of the restaurant, behind a partition, came the Group CC, Squadron CC, our OIC, Production's LT, and our Chief to congratulate him.

After working night shift during snow removal, my superintendent woke me up to report to the Base Civil Engineer's office. He proceeded to ask if I knew about an accident one of my guys supposedly had with a snow plow and a parked car. I informed him that I was not aware of any accident and he then proceeded to tell me that as an "NCO" I needed to be aware of anything that goes on any shift when I am the person in charge. Obviously, I said "yes sir" and then hesitated because I finally realized he said NCO and I was a SrA. I had been selected for promotion to SSgt.

Our LT got promoted and they waited till he just got off a all nighter duty in the TOC on the field and they waited till he was sound asleep...picked up his cot...slowly moved him out into a large mud hole and then the Lt. Col came up and everyone yelled ATTENTION!...he leaped out of his cot and straight into the mud..lost balance...went down twice...then he finally made it to attention...then the Lt. Col told him he was outta uniform...no boots...no cover..and he was wearing the wrong rank...he found his cover in the cot..still no boots and it finally dawned on him what was happening...As he got pinned. Awesome...then the Lt. Col told him he needed to go get cleaned up lol....

I guess it's normal but I thought it was funny that 5 people called to tell me I made SSgt less than a minute after results came out, before I could even login to my pc to see for myself

I had been selected for SSgt but was on the staff for USCINCPAC. We were on a trip to Washington DC and didnt expect my number to come up for a couple of months. The Major I worked for liked messing with me and we had some good ones back and forth. But on this trip he came to my hotel room the NIGHT BEFORE we had to fly out. He explained that my number was up and that I was getting promoted tomorrow... The next day I had to get chevrons, have them sewn on while I waited, get a pair of metal chevrons AND Still get to the airplane. The next day I got promoted after a brief that was given in Colorado Springs. Since that was my home town, my parents were given permission to come on the base and into the DV area where we were to promote me. We had steak on the flight home....

I walked into my boss' office to answer his bellow and he tossed a black oak leaf cluster across his desk and he told me I owed the office lunch...

Back in like 07 I was sitting in my car with my wife about to board a bus to deploy to Iraq when my first seargent yanked the door open pulled me out of the car ripped off my pfc rank and power punched my spc on my chest man I was so confused as to what just happened it took my wife telling me that I got promoted 3 times before I realized it

Actually I was the unusual one. I received my E-4 (SPC) rank quite some time ago ('86) when we still had the pin-ons. My CDR had me in formation, said his speech, then began putting the rank on my collar. However, he (sorta) forgot about the grommets in the back, then proceeded to do the "blood rank pound" (For those who recall was the closed fist pound on both sides of the collar). I stood there proud, didn't flinch. After formation, I casually had my section chief take me to sick call and had the doc pry one of the ranks out of my collarbone. OUCH!!

Colonel walked in with paper copies of Staff Sergeant Stripes (About six inches across) and a staple gun.
Told the troop, you've been promoted. This might hurt. LoL we about died laughing. We were at Bagram at the time.