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

While at Camp Roberts, CA during AT we were just starting to brief our group commander. The brand new XO that was replacing me in the unit shortly (I retired a couple months later) was a Major promotable. Just as she was starting the order of the briefing. The Colonel jumped up out of his seat and acted like he was pissed at how she started out the briefing. It Totally flustered her for the moment as he was continuing by saying "no, no, no this is all wrong we can't have this..." then he immediately told the S-1 Officer to publish the order as he proceeded to promote her to LTC on the spot. The look on her face was priceless. The rest of the staff was just as shocked as only the CSM and the S-1 were in on the Commanders plan.

My section sergeant was relieved due to a DUI on the eve of a major battalion OIP. I was a specialist one week out, but very good with inventory and accountability. During the briefing, they announced my name and the section. I saw my Battalion Commander motion for my Company Commander, then he motioned for the 1SG. After the brief, my Commander and 1SG called me over and said we are having your ceremony after lunch. I was ordered to laterally appoint you to CPL. The Battalion Commander said with an inspection this major, he's not going to jail for a specialist. If he's an NCO, he can handle his own charges. Granted none came out, my section scored commendable in all areas, and I was on my way to making SGT in under 3 years.

A former CO of mine was promoted to RADM; a friend and I sent him a telegram while he was deployed to the western Pacific congratulating him on his selection. We found our later that telegram was how he found our that he had been selected even before the ALNAV announcing the selections had been received on his ship.

As a MM2 I was under the deck grating in the bilge of Propulsion Lube Oil Bay cleaning up, that's right, oil, when Chief opened the grate and yelled at me, "You're going to OCS nub!"

I was in OCS when I got my rockers so I never got to actually wear them but I kept them for a special occasion. It came to be a fantastic E5 medic made her E6 I let her know by presenting her with my stripes.

SMSgt Tony Barnes
I had been at my command maybe a couple of weeks and was just starting to get known. We were having our morning meeting (I call it that because it wasn't your typical military formation. We actually met in a conference room and sat at a table while our Chain put out information) and our LCDR was reading an email with the advancement results. At the very end of it: "IT3 Miller? Do we have an IT3 Miller?" I raised my hand and said "Yes Ma'am, that's me." Her: "You made IT2..."

getting ripped by your commander for being out of uniform, because I should have had SSgt on 5 months ago. Thanks AFPC

Overseas! Came in as a captain and major was thrown on his office and that was the promotion!

I was in the Berry Plan, which was the perfect way for a doctor to "beat" the draft- I enlisted. The Berry plan was a deferment to complete my training to allow me to not worry about my training being interrupted and the Army was guaranteed a fully trained surgeon in the future. My initial appointment was as a 2nd Lieutenant. I had no active or reserve duty but over the next few years, letters appeared stating that I had been promoted to 1st Lieutenant and then Captain. When I finished my training, i received orders to report along with a suggestion not to purchase Captain's bars as I would report for duty as Major.

Saw it go the other way once. I was the MAA for Captains Mast and an E3 who had gone UA was appearing before our CO who had been a WW2 Chief. He knew he was going to get busted so he cut one of his stripes off and had it taped on. When the Captain asked if he had anything to say before sentencing the kid said 'I know I'm going to get busted so' and he turned his head to the left and blew the stripe off reducing himself to an E2. Captain looked at him , me, and the 2 officers present and said 'that was pretty good, can you do it one more time'? Captain told me later he was gonna give the guy 30 days restriction loss of some pay and EMI but the smart ass routine made him mad.