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

When I was enlisted and in an HHC at a TRADOC post, my first sergeant walked past me, turned around and asked me why I was wearing PFC rank when I was promoted to E4 over three weeks before. I was never told by anyone in my chain of command until I ran into him. He called the HHC Commander and they came to the office where I worked and the captain promoted me in front of my coworkers (about 70% civilians), a clueless LT and a LTC who did not know I was getting promoted.

When a made First class I walked in the door and the CPO jumped on my stuff for being out of uniform, I was totally flabbergasted as I was wearing the usual undress uniform, actually a step up from what was required but since I was acting XPO I was trying to set a good example. After a minute or two of dressing me down like I hadn't been dressed down since boot camp, he reachied into his drawer pulled out a set of 1st class crows and flipped them to me with a big grin and told me to go fix my uniform, and he'd be the first to tack them on.

I was working on a piece of gear when my section leader came up to me and punched me on the arm a good one and stood there with a grin. when he thought I was going to punch him back he shook my hand and it dawned on me what was up. those that don't know we used to be able to tack the crows on in the Navy so they wouldn't fly away

A couple funny, one not so funny. I'll start there. In '94 I was a Sgt, had two Cpl's getting out that made the cut for Sgt. The Command decided they wouldn't promote JeffH or SamL from my section because they wouldn't re-enlist or extend. Even though they had four years of IRR pending. Jeff's wife worked as a bar-keep at the SNCO club, got to talking with a couple of 'old dudes' about it. A MGySgt and a 1stSgt. Long story short, they both got promoted a week later. Which they should have. They earned it.
Last couple of weeks, an LDO buddy had me watching NAV messages for the LDO O4 list. (because I can). Haven't seen it yet, but apparently the Command gets a pre-release of non-selects. The Col pulled him aside, explained it, and said "you weren't on the non-select list, but I can't tell you if you were selected." He was happy. I guess. Official message still not released...
My case? I was 8 years active, then reserve. Got mobilized in '03 at the start of OIF, as a Comm Chief in a SKIF somewhere in Arlington. I had applied for WO, and got selected. My promotion date was way past, so I kept pinging the MGySgt "When am I getting promoted?" He kept saying "When I see the paperwork, Gunny!" We worked rotating shifts, so when I was on the 0600 to 1400 shift, one day I just pulled off 95 South to Quantico and hit the Manpower building - (Russel Knox?) In uniform, and tired, GunnyK went round and round and up and down until he found a Sgt with a butt-load of paperwork on his desk. {Gunny look} "Where's my shit Sgt?" He found a manila envelope with my 'stuff' - Warrant and paperwork of some kind. I said "Give it to me", and he did. The next morning after changeover, around 0800 when the MGuns showed up, I handed the envelope to him and said "Is this what you need to get me promoted?" He looked at it, and said "Where did you find this?" I said "I went to Quantico and kicked desks around until someone gave it to me." "No shit. Umm, well that should do it. Uhh, By the way, good morning, Sir! When would you like to be promoted?". Yea. That afternoon. Annnnd then promptly rewarded with a tour of Iraq for 2-2 in Ramadi. Good Times!

While I was in the 3rd Herd (3rd Combat Comm Group) when promotions came out they would personally call and tell you that you did NOT get promoted. That place was 100% FUBAR'd while I was there. 1985-1990

Probably a recovered memory, but one of the oddest assignments I had was a tour as a full-time manning assignment with a Reserve Component Organization, the 420th Engineer Brigade headquartered in College Station, Texas. A predominantly AGGIE Brigade, I have appreciated the assignment more in retrospect than at the time. However, we were in Germany for a REFORGER with III Corps and were staying at a British Kaserne. More concerns about laundry than you might think, but I found myself along with another Active Duty NCO negotiating with a British Laundry Concession that was run by the Regiments wives. They were great. We were really shamming, trying to avoid a formation, sort of think E7s and E8s due when they're not in charge. (Until after they've been in charge, and feel some professional courtesy.) Anyway, we were too efficient and found ourselves approaching the mob scene/formation and suddenly the Commanding General saw us and motioned that we needed to get ourselves in ranks. So we doubletimed over to the S3 platoon formation --- about 70 people and fell in the rear. They started the formation, and suddenly I jerked to a special level of consciousness when the CG roared, "SFC Farrell, Front and Center" Stepped back, mutering "Great, public humiliation!" making a few folks smother laughter, and doubletimed up to the CG and reported. Then the CG smiled, and looked to the Adjutant, who did the "Attention to Orders!" and then read a message from the 5th Army G1 to the effect that I had been selected for promotion to Master Sergeant with a sequence number of 53. I had not seen this coming, so I was from deep in the secondary zone, and fourteen months later, Brigadier General Woodie Free, USAR and TAMU Class of 1957 put on the stripes.

I remain grateful for the experience with Texas, the Reserves, and the A&M Community. But, for a fairly straight laced NCO from New England, it was a whole other country indeed.

During Desert Storm we had a technical problem affecting several of our aircraft. About 3 am one night/morning an airman and I (I was a E-4 Sgt at the time) were just off the flight line working on one of the avionic boxes when our OIC walked in and started giving us a hard time about the issue, why wasn't it resolved, etc. I explained that we were on it but he would not let up. Frustrated, I finally started pushing back. He just smiled and handed me SSgt stripes. I'll never forget that day.

I was expecting promotion results for E8 any day when I checked our daily message traffic and was happy to see I made Senior Chief. I told no one. Went home that night and celebrated with my wife. After about three weeks, no one at my own command had even noticed I was selected. My closest advisor and close friend was a retired Marine Master Gunny who worked right down the hall from me. I told him at lunch that I had been selected three weeks prior and he told me to just put on my new rank. I thought about it, but instead decided to pay a visit to my CO (an O6) and ask "permission". Keeping in mind that I was absolutely disgusted with my inefficient and self-serving chain of command, I knocked on my CO's door and entered his office. I said, "Sir, If it's not too big a problem, I was wondering if you wouldn't mind if I went ahead and started wearing my Senior Chief's anchor". Since all frocking and promotion ceremonies had gone down weeks prior, it was not exactly an inappropriate request. He freaked. He stomped out his office yelling for the XO (who was useless) and CMC. They came running down the hall and the CO asked them why he had not been informed of my promotion. They both had no clue (and had obviously failed to read the message traffic as they were supposed to). The CO was pissed. He told me that he would have a ceremony the following day. I asked him not to, but he wanted to save face. It was the coldest and most inauthentic ceremony I have ever seen. Any leader not involved in the promotion of their troops ain't worth spit. That was when I decided to look at the Warrant Officer path.

I know a case when I was stationed in San Diego and somebody took a discharge and then was called back because he was to receive a promotion a month after he packed up and went home.

Made ADR2 (E-5) then told that I didn't have enough time left in to actually get the stripes. Was told that I could extend for 2 years and get the stripes, had 10 months left to go before I separated. Asked if I could extend for 2 months so I would have a year to go and get the stripes and was told I'd have to extend for the 2 years. I decided to stay an ADR3.