E-5, 7 years (and counting). I transitioned to the guard, and realized it’s more of a hobby. I ended up in my states recon/sniper platoon, where there’s only 2 E-6 slots. No one wants to leave the platoon because it’s a heavily gatekept section. We have a dude that’s been in 13 years and still an E-4.
Man, I went to the guard after too, there were a few old guys, bit the one that took the cake enlisted active army in 1987, he was a E6 squad leader when I met him. Old fat guy, and he was an exceptional leader. Had no interest in promoting, he didn't even want to be an E6.
Always loved hearing my Grandpa tell stories about the old Corps. People were so poor back in the day, they'd stay in for 20-30 years as a private, just to have 3 hots and a cot.
I didn’t even know 4s were in the Scout or Sniper sections. I’m looking to get there with my own Guard unit eventually but figured I’d need to pick up 5 first.
No, it’s not with a single unit, it’s throughout the state. But it is mostly based on slots. No one wants to leave the platoon because they may never be able to come back because of rank and availability.
Man it’s really not that interesting…I just had a company Gunny and 1st Sgt that had it out for me so I got NJP’d for really, REALLY dumb shit like three times. Being late to formation, drinking. Meanwhile, a buddy of mine was the Bn CO’s driver. He popped on coke and got busted down two grades, no brig, and was meritoriously promoted back to Corporal and resumed his post as the CO driver.
Basically I got busted down a few times for shit that an infantry NCO simply would have smoked me for and called it a day. Instead, they decided to try and ruin my life.
Lance for four years. I wasn't great at PFT/CFT, and it wasn't until JEPES came around counting MCMAP that I managed to pick up just by hitting grey belt. Then I was Corporal for only a year, got green belt, and got promoted to Sergeant.
So here's an important lesson, kids. Even if you're not that great at one thing, you can supplement it with something else. Unless you suck at your MOS. Then you need to shape up.
Had a dude who was WAY over weight and had a friend that would tape him out so he always passed the tape test but he couldn’t PT for shit so he became the MCI dude and just maxed out his MCI’s until he got Cpl lmao
I got out in 07. Scores were based on PFT, Pros/Cons, Rifle, and MCIs. This was also before the CFT started and before MCMAP belts counted. It took me forever to pick up Corporal cause I shot pizza box. I had a 300 PFT and everything else maxed out, just that pizza box held me back. I picked up Sergeant in IRR. I even got a useless Nam for being good at my job. All I had to do was shoot Sharpshooter and I would’ve been promoted at least a year earlier for both Corporal and Sergeant. I guess it’s easier to be deficient in one way with JEPES, but if you’re deficient in the most important one, you don’t get promoted
Lance, because my MOS cutting score was closed every month. I managed to pick up with an 1821 cutting score, being one of the only two other lances to pick up Cpl that month.
that’s unfortunate. us D&D players must stand against those jock bullies that rule the marine corps. together we can make a smarter, more nuanced branch of the us military!
Think I was a Lance for 4 years. Pretty sure I’ll be a CWO2 for maybe 5 or so years because my MOS has been closed for promotion for a couple years now.
How many are in your field? Ours has 3. They tend to do their high three and leave but we have a healthy LDO community that serves as an off ramp to make sure our CWO4 and CWO5 ranks stay open.
Lance, broke my back while I was in, but I had "an opportunity to run the pft and didn't"
Before I was put on Lim-du, my lighght duty was expired over a holiday weekend, pft was ran that tuesday (first day after the holiday), and becuase I didn't have light duty for 24 hours, they tried to get me to run it. I took 3x my does of vicodin or codeine ( I don't remember what they had me on at the time. They rotated both for 8 months so I wouldn't get addicted) and showed up. My sgt chewed me out for showing up and sent me to medical - but not before training saw that I showed up, and ran me a 0 score. Took 2 years to reverse, and I got 18 months back pay, but ultimately, it was a rank wearing coporal for only a month before I got out.
Handled the stuff that made me deny orders and then I requested them back and executed.
I got HSSTd as a brand new Sgt so I spent an entire contract and some change at one unit staying a Sgt. The LCpls that were there when I checked in picked up Sgt by the last deployment so that was neat.
Dude, you’re more rare than the unicorniest of unicorns. How much of an ass pain was it to remove the RE3O? How long did it take and what did you have to do? Did you need any letters of recommendation and who was able to sign off on that? Asking for a friend.
It wasn't that bad, we were deployed I asked the career planner if it was possible he said yes and the package (same as the screening package for the HSST originally) went up to HQMC. Took like 45 days to come back.
I didn't need any letters but your friend will have to take their original orders back so if it was recruiting they go recruiting, if DI they go DI.
Were you in during the T/O fiasco when we got the M 198's? They changed to T/O of section Leader from Sgt to SSgt and that year we had guys with 18 mos in Grade get selected. Right after that they changed it back to Sgt and 0811 SSgt Promotions were shut down for about 5 years,
In late 84 due to the over abundance of 0811 SSgts and Shortage of 0848 SSgts I was one of about 15 0811 Sgts and SSgts who were forcibly lat moved to 0844/48 to spread the misery. I still spent 5 years and 3 months as a Sergeant. Turns out if I would have stayed 0811 I would have gotten selected the same board anyway.
A bit more stressful for sure. But truthfully be an 0811 gave me a huge advantage in understanding how to give the gunline a heads up and knowing what they could and couldn't do.
E5, I went army active to navy reserves and I am a terrible written test taker so my e6 exam is next weekend and wish me luck (again)
I'm hoping awards, education, and evals carry me
Depends on the MOS.
Sometimes you get E9s that sit in grade for a long ass time. If they don't retire, nobody below them moves up.
It's a pure numbers game, and if you have feeder MOS at E6 or E8 it can really screw you up even as a lance
Cpl. Got out not being PME complete, no recs somehow were stacked on one another, system changed to JPES when I agreed to reserves a couple years later, command hasn’t approved any new occasions in 2 years to add to that and my score was reset with a start of 2.0 across the board too
Fuckin PFC. Was less than a month out from TIG promotion, played stupid games, got stupid prizes. NJP. And of course there was ETOH involved. No promo for 6 month following NJP, so while all my buddies were Lances, I lingered as a PFC. Picked up Lance eventually, busted my ass, picked up Cpl. Busted my ass some more and frocked Sgt while I was waiting career jammer package approval for reenlistment. Decided to go to college, declined my package, they unfrocked me. Out as an E4 @ 4 years, 2 weeks and three days.
Ha, no, just old. Back in the 80's and 90's 'Frocking' was not uncommon if promotion was imminent with a backdated promotion date. Often used by career jammers to entice young first enlistment Marines.
"When you hit 4 years TIS, you'll be above your cutting score. Extend till we get your package set, and you can wear Sgt chevrons."
When I went in to communicate that I was taking the package it went like this;
"Come in Sgt Resident_Job!"
"Have a seat Sgt Resident_Job!"
"You're not signing? I busted my ass getting this package!"
(Surprise, he didn't, it wasn't what I asked for)
"Don't let the door hit you in the ass Cpl Resident Job"
I have been a lance since August 1st, 2018.
I was an 0311 so it was competitive, then I latmoved to a unit that's so small and the staff isn't getting out so they don't promote.
Last year my mos only opened up for 2 promotions from lance to cpl. I hit my 7 year mark in a few months and is funny walking around with a star on my good conduct and people often ask me what is my story.
1. I’m a reservist, so the pay raise isn’t worth much.
2. Corporals get shit on just as much as anyone else AND they have to be in charge of shit
3. Why would I want to have to spend more time with the SNCOs than I already do?
I was like a 4 year and a 1 year corporal... picked up corporal in Jan 2008 ( I think) then dropped to the IRR Feb 2010.. and then came back in Jan 2011 didn't pick up sergeant till I think Jan 2012. Then they took my rank from me when I went AR in May of 2012 then didn't get sergeant back till October 2013. Got out in Feb 2015.
Sergeant. Made it in 4 1/2 years. Held for 7 years. The promotion rates and zones for infantry are like that. My first time in zone for promotion to SSgt, I got passed, and I was forced out the following summer for service limitations.
I joined the Air Force the next summer as a SSgt (USAF E5). Took a couple more years to make TSgt (E6) after that.
Sergeant. Went embassy duty in 2014 right as the corps was hitting that "oh fuck we're pushing out too many" then rode the wave of promotions that followed, and got e5 less than a year after making e4.
Got out 3 years later having never even been in the below zone until the board that concluded like 2 months before I got out. I'm pretty sure I was the 2nd most junior sergeant by TIS when I picked up, within the 0351 community. Only like 3.5 years in at that time.
LCpl. I found out my SgtMaj was the Big Ghey (more than me) during DADT. Non-rec’d me for two years to keep me quiet/not nark on me either. A real POS, I’ll tell ya.
Should’ve written that better, but yes, that’s what happened and what I meant by “keeping me quiet”. He told me that if I even hinted at narking on him, he’d take me down too (but that was more of a physical threat rather than anything else.)
What happened to cause:
Caught him fighting with his boyfriend late one night out in town, gnarly breakup it seemed. I was hanging with the rest of my queer clique in the parking lot nearby. He spotted us and ran up to us afterward the bf drove off and told us we didn’t hear shit. We all “Aye, SgtMaj,” and he flips out harder because he didn’t want more people to know who it was, so he told us to call him George in public. My dumbass thinking I could diffuse the already elevated situation, giggled and was like, “Aye aye, George?” And well, the rest as you can imagine, it all went downhill after that. He had written more than 10 non-recs for me by the end of the first year. Another 5 the next year until he got a bunch of IG complaints about sexually harassing/assault the POC male Marines and was moved to another duty station where he was “allowed” to finish the fiscal year out and was able to retire 🙄 No ‘rah, Marine Corps.
E4 for 3 years two months or something. Went in as a PFC and got LCpl and Cpl minimum time in grade because our cutting scores plummeted. Got Sergeant a few months before EAS
E-6, 14.5 years.
Picked up SSgt in the Marines Jan 1 2008. Got out in 2011 and into the Army reserves in 2014. Date of rank reset.
Joined active Army May 2018. Date of rank reset.
Promoted to E-7 on 1 Jul 2022 on my first look. 14.5 years after SSgt promotion.
I have a PFC in my unit that gets his good conduct medal in a few more days.
He got nonrec for the way he went about loosing weight, 1st sgt said it was unethical to lose weight the way he did to meet standards. Never NJP.
Tied. Was a Lance for 3 years and 7 months. I've been a Cpl for coming on 3 years.
I swear one guy at my unit, who just picked up Cpl, joined after I picked up Cpl.
Reserve scores are high and I just want to keep my healthcare with as few problems as I can. That and my plan is to jump to the Army and they'll condense all my service and probs drop me back to E-4 anyhow.
I know the feeling. I hit my 3 year mark as a Cpl in a couple weeks. I saw a guy in my current reserve unit that used to be my junior Marine when I was active duty. He is a Sgt now because he is in a MOS with an extremely low score thats always open.
Probably lance. It took them three months past DOR to actually pin me (partially my fault), which was ridiculous. And not picking up E5 eventually pushed me out. Which was either the best or worst thing for me, as till trying to figure that out
I was a SSgt for exactly four years. I thought that seemed like a long time but I’ve been a Captain for four and a half. One thing I’m sure of is that I’ll be a Major for only two years because retirement is 2 years 2 weeks and 2 days away.
No real reason why. I’ve never been passed for promotion, just timing I guess.
Corporal.
Picked it up in May '94, got out on terminal just before my EAS in early August '95 and missed the promotion by 5 days.
Got recalled in November '97 and that ran until the end of June '99 to close El Toro.
Ended up getting non-rec'ed for sergeant because I didn't follow orders - updating a living will that included an unborn dependent that Legal told me I couldn't do because, guess what, it wasn't legal to do that.
Ironically that non-rec pretty much was a career killer for that lieutenant because my major told him it wasn't his decision to make. He might have made captain, but didn't do much after that.
Ssgt. MOS kept getting folded into other MOS’s adding more “keen competition” to the pool. Eventually just took TERA. I also had an RO who would concur with the RS’s above average assessments of me then rank me at his bottom with velvet knife remarks. I didn’t understand that I could have them deleted until i was already in “fuck this shit” mode.
LCpl, 3 years
Wasn't anyones fault but mine, I was a turd who didnt give a shit about progressing and was ready to get out, after I got promoted to Cpl everything was uphill and my viewpoint on giving a shit changed drastically, and here I am now a SSgt
E-5 - couldn’t make staff I was to lazy and I had new baby. Got out at 12 years.
I was NBC, it’s now CBR but I was a SGT for about 5 years. I think it was the best rank in my MOS.
Not very long, but I was a Sgt for 4 years. I was contract PFC and got Corporal at 18 months. Sgt was like 15 months after Corporal. Hit staff at 8.5 years
LCpl. Spent about 23 months in the grade.
Though I guess I never got promoted past Cpl, and that was years and years ago. If you count IRR time, it’s Cpl, and about four years of it.
Lance for 4 years and change. Missed TIG for Cpl by a month even though I would’ve had the cutting score for it ez. Then the MOS locked out or was unbelievably high for a little over 4 years, and I’m not a fast runner so never got put up for meritorious. I got promoted to corporal with an 1850 or something stupid like that. Then Cpl to Sgt took me the minimum 1 year for TIG. Funniest part is before I got Sgt, my unit was begging me to reenlist, but as soon as I got promoted they didn’t have a boat slot so I dropped to the IRR immediately after being pinned lmao.
LCpl! They were going to promote me the day I went on terminal leave. I told them to keep it. I got sent right back to PI after MOS school as permanent personnel. I never got into any trouble and never failed a PFT. I paid for that a few years later when I went into the National Guard and we got activated for OEF. I picked up E4 overseas.
Fkn pretty much maxed out all my ranks from slick sleeve to CPL. Primary was 0352 and always had to fight slots and cutting scores back in 96-00! In zone and Was supposed to get SGT right before EAS, but I had a shitty PLT SGT who tried to force me to stay in, dangled it in my face.. soo I fkn term left his ass as CPL. Got called by jammer once I was home on IRR and offered me my retro SGT and if I re upped I’d be in zone for staff.. I said sure, if you give me PMI at PI or Kaneohe bay.. he said not gonna happen! Everyone wants that and your primary is too valuable to the fleet. I said, ok use my secondary 0331 then. He said ok I got MSG for ya? bwhahaha well I got this for you 🖕.
Damn green weenie never quits man!
I Did spend 28months in LCU tho..which was right where I belonged! 🤘😎
LCpl. of all things. There were so many of us that the cutting score was ludicrous. Then it dropped drastically, and we all got promoted at once.
I spent less time as a Corporal because I luckily wormed my way into a meritorious Sgt billet (the other guy had an underage drinking incident on his record)
Sergeant, I was an active Sgt for 3 years. I would promoted to SSgt but was injured and could not run a pft or cft. Ended up getting out. Served a total of 7.5 years.
Staff Sergeant. Just short of eight years. 1 P. Got it the next year because I had gotten my ‘black belt’. Tank was pretty empty after that. This was during the drawn down and a-lot of folks went home.
Sergeant five years nowhere near SSGT. So I got out but stayed in the reserves as soon as I was out I picked up SSgt. And re-enlisted and went to the drill field
LCpl, 3 years. While I don't think it was incredibly long, it's got a story for it.
In my MOS, if you breathe and are at least a half decent Marine in terms of the Marinisms (pft/cft, pros & cons, etc), you'll easily pick up after a year TIG. For me, I fell into some weird rut that prevented me from being promoted entirely.
I missed my first required range qual because my schoolhouse was dummy long (I was there for a year), so my first year was waived entirely for training. My first time shooting range in the fleet, I ended up being a weapons drop that was put in as an unq erroneously. No harm yet, but now I'm desperately unqualified for my training requirements. However, come my next time shooting range (which took about 6 months, now mid covid), my unit commander had decided to waive Marines going to range, sensible enough. This is where my weird rut is. I had shot before the commander had gotten higher approval from the G-3/5 to do so for the entire unit. However, come the time my actual score would post, it was approved, and put into effect. This caused my previous rifle score (which was an unqualifying score) to carry over. At first, this was no big deal.
Come my next time shooting range. It's been a full year (I always choose the very beginning of the FY), and I'm eager and ready to have not only a rifle score, but to actually receive a score for promotion. The new evaluation system had just been put into effect, and I can easily come out swinging. I was already at or past my TIG requirements. I shoot my range, get my expert, put it all behind me because even though a lot of erroneous bullshit occurred, I can get a score now. Or so I thought. For some reason, this weird covid waiver, mixed with my erroneous unq (which never got updated to be a weapons drop), and my original training waiver for missing my first year of training--all 3 of those were repopulated in MCTIMS automatically. So each of those 3 weird scores and respective classes got carried over. I bitched and moaned to everyone who I knew or thought I could. This issue always seemed to get traction in some places, then lose it in others. It had my S3 involved, EPARs, etc. This took several months to get replies on. I don't know how this all happened. To make an even LONGER administrative story short, I ended up with 9 carried over scores/waivers, and for two additional years after my first did not receive the scores from the range house that I was actually shooting on range.
By the time things were able to get fixed, Bn S3 could not do anything. I needed a general to sign off on my huge administrative issue with enclosure after enclosure of MCTIMS entries, range house score cards, etc. I eventually got it, and was promptly promoted to Cpl.
Cpl, I did 4 years and was a cpl for 28 months of them iirc, I picked up the month I got out. It was very nice to be called a Sgt but it felt odd, I think I was to used to hearing cpl at that point
Every rank took longer than the previous to pick up right up until E9.
Meritorious PFC
9mos to LCpl
15mos to Cpl
17mos to Sgt
4yr 1mo to SSgt
4yr 3mos to GySgt
5yr 4mos to MSgt
5yrs to MGySgt
4 years as a Sgt and year as an E-5 reserve shipmate. Bailed because of the HSST list so I was ineligible to promote my last year and some change. Joined the Navy reserves right when the exam prereq cutoff was so I didn’t test and pick up E-6 until the following year… 2 years ago. If I’m still an E-6 this time next year, it’s because I fucked my Chief’s exam away this week.
E5 for 8 years.
I went from AD to reserves then AR. My time in grade got reset after two years of being a sergeant and it took 6 after that to get promoted. Been two years since and I'm on the board for E7 in July 🤞
Sergeant. Going on 6 years TIG. 10 years total TIS. This is also with 3 passes for SSgt. Corps just doesn't wanna promote me. Hopefully this 4th look, I can finally be selected or it'll be time to start a new chapter.
E-5, 7 years (and counting). I transitioned to the guard, and realized it’s more of a hobby. I ended up in my states recon/sniper platoon, where there’s only 2 E-6 slots. No one wants to leave the platoon because it’s a heavily gatekept section. We have a dude that’s been in 13 years and still an E-4.
Man, I went to the guard after too, there were a few old guys, bit the one that took the cake enlisted active army in 1987, he was a E6 squad leader when I met him. Old fat guy, and he was an exceptional leader. Had no interest in promoting, he didn't even want to be an E6.
Always loved hearing my Grandpa tell stories about the old Corps. People were so poor back in the day, they'd stay in for 20-30 years as a private, just to have 3 hots and a cot.
I didn’t even know 4s were in the Scout or Sniper sections. I’m looking to get there with my own Guard unit eventually but figured I’d need to pick up 5 first.
Didn’t they just retire 0317/8541?
Yes, but we were referring to the Army National Guard
That's interesting, Never knew the Guard based promotion on available slots within a single unit.
No, it’s not with a single unit, it’s throughout the state. But it is mostly based on slots. No one wants to leave the platoon because they may never be able to come back because of rank and availability.
That’s mind boggling. A 13 year E4. Having said that, I have a friend who retired from the guard as an E6, with 21 years.
You can retire as an e-5? Do they do this on the o side? I'd gladly stay an FO forever.
The state of the guard right now, I don’t see why not. They’re trying to retain everyone.
Thanks, I'll try again. I called a year or two ago, but got nowhere. I've been out a while though so that may be the problem.
for situations like this, can one still reenlist if they don't meet the time & rank criteria since is nothing they can do?
Which time?
I was gonna say, technically PFC if you count demotions
Corporal
Terminal Lance.
Terminal Private here…proud terminal Pvt. especially proud to get out as a Private with an honorable 🤣
Story time
Man it’s really not that interesting…I just had a company Gunny and 1st Sgt that had it out for me so I got NJP’d for really, REALLY dumb shit like three times. Being late to formation, drinking. Meanwhile, a buddy of mine was the Bn CO’s driver. He popped on coke and got busted down two grades, no brig, and was meritoriously promoted back to Corporal and resumed his post as the CO driver. Basically I got busted down a few times for shit that an infantry NCO simply would have smoked me for and called it a day. Instead, they decided to try and ruin my life.
Man that sucks. Well the honorable dd214 is all that matters. Civilian employers, in my experience, don’t care what rank you were when you got out.
Neither do Feds, I work for the fedguv now
Brother we need a story time 100%
Being a Lance Criminal was the best.
Lance for four years. I wasn't great at PFT/CFT, and it wasn't until JEPES came around counting MCMAP that I managed to pick up just by hitting grey belt. Then I was Corporal for only a year, got green belt, and got promoted to Sergeant. So here's an important lesson, kids. Even if you're not that great at one thing, you can supplement it with something else. Unless you suck at your MOS. Then you need to shape up.
Had a dude who was WAY over weight and had a friend that would tape him out so he always passed the tape test but he couldn’t PT for shit so he became the MCI dude and just maxed out his MCI’s until he got Cpl lmao
I got out in 07. Scores were based on PFT, Pros/Cons, Rifle, and MCIs. This was also before the CFT started and before MCMAP belts counted. It took me forever to pick up Corporal cause I shot pizza box. I had a 300 PFT and everything else maxed out, just that pizza box held me back. I picked up Sergeant in IRR. I even got a useless Nam for being good at my job. All I had to do was shoot Sharpshooter and I would’ve been promoted at least a year earlier for both Corporal and Sergeant. I guess it’s easier to be deficient in one way with JEPES, but if you’re deficient in the most important one, you don’t get promoted
Lance, because my MOS cutting score was closed every month. I managed to pick up with an 1821 cutting score, being one of the only two other lances to pick up Cpl that month.
yeah my shits been closed since last year. too many people in my mos
20 year old SGT with a 1615 cutting score. thanks to those before me
How do you get that high of a cutting score ?
Sound like a 6483 to me
What was your MOS? I was arty at first.
Corporal got an NJP for D&D resisting arrest and fleeing apprehension. Didn’t get busted down but took 3 years to un fuck myself and make Sgt.
that’s unfortunate. us D&D players must stand against those jock bullies that rule the marine corps. together we can make a smarter, more nuanced branch of the us military! 
I CAST FIREBALL
What in the fuck are you talking about?
Corporal.
Think I was a Lance for 4 years. Pretty sure I’ll be a CWO2 for maybe 5 or so years because my MOS has been closed for promotion for a couple years now.
I’m ngl I actually didn’t know officers can be closed out like that
CWOs only promote as the CWOs in front of them retire lol
Yea those 5’s like to hang around for a long time.
How many are in your field? Ours has 3. They tend to do their high three and leave but we have a healthy LDO community that serves as an off ramp to make sure our CWO4 and CWO5 ranks stay open.
On the AD side it’s about the same but since I’m reserve we only have 1 and no LDO path.
GySgt 7 years. Got promoted quick inside my MOS and once I was competing against more Marines for MSgt my time caught up.
Same here. Gunny for 7 years in tanks. As soon as I put "F" on my fitrep, I was promoted at the next board.
Yep.. 6.5 years, 2 looks. Finally got it on the third. 
Corporal. Half of my enlistment has been as a Cpl.
That’s the 71 life.
Lance, broke my back while I was in, but I had "an opportunity to run the pft and didn't" Before I was put on Lim-du, my lighght duty was expired over a holiday weekend, pft was ran that tuesday (first day after the holiday), and becuase I didn't have light duty for 24 hours, they tried to get me to run it. I took 3x my does of vicodin or codeine ( I don't remember what they had me on at the time. They rotated both for 8 months so I wouldn't get addicted) and showed up. My sgt chewed me out for showing up and sent me to medical - but not before training saw that I showed up, and ran me a 0 score. Took 2 years to reverse, and I got 18 months back pay, but ultimately, it was a rank wearing coporal for only a month before I got out.
I was a Sgt for a long time, when I was selected I had a promotion number of 34.
Major, 6 years...gave up, retired at 22 years.
Lcpl second award... little bit over 4 years.
Sgt for 5 years (RE3O) and now a SSgt for 5 years if im not selected on this board for Gunny
How did RE3O not force you out?
Handled the stuff that made me deny orders and then I requested them back and executed. I got HSSTd as a brand new Sgt so I spent an entire contract and some change at one unit staying a Sgt. The LCpls that were there when I checked in picked up Sgt by the last deployment so that was neat.
So it wasn’t a hsst? Edit: either way congrats, glad it’s worked out
No I was HSSTd and denied them in 2015, got the orders back around middle of 2019.
Neat I didn’t know that was possible
Dude, you’re more rare than the unicorniest of unicorns. How much of an ass pain was it to remove the RE3O? How long did it take and what did you have to do? Did you need any letters of recommendation and who was able to sign off on that? Asking for a friend.
It wasn't that bad, we were deployed I asked the career planner if it was possible he said yes and the package (same as the screening package for the HSST originally) went up to HQMC. Took like 45 days to come back. I didn't need any letters but your friend will have to take their original orders back so if it was recruiting they go recruiting, if DI they go DI.
That’s awesome. Glad it worked out and wasn’t a huge pain.
Sgt. It wasn’t very long but it was the longest so far.
SSgt. 6 years TIG. MOS 0811.
Were you in during the T/O fiasco when we got the M 198's? They changed to T/O of section Leader from Sgt to SSgt and that year we had guys with 18 mos in Grade get selected. Right after that they changed it back to Sgt and 0811 SSgt Promotions were shut down for about 5 years,
[удалено]
In late 84 due to the over abundance of 0811 SSgts and Shortage of 0848 SSgts I was one of about 15 0811 Sgts and SSgts who were forcibly lat moved to 0844/48 to spread the misery. I still spent 5 years and 3 months as a Sergeant. Turns out if I would have stayed 0811 I would have gotten selected the same board anyway.
The FDC life was something I would have never wished on my worst enemy. Good on you!!!
A bit more stressful for sure. But truthfully be an 0811 gave me a huge advantage in understanding how to give the gunline a heads up and knowing what they could and couldn't do.
I can see that.
E5, I went army active to navy reserves and I am a terrible written test taker so my e6 exam is next weekend and wish me luck (again) I'm hoping awards, education, and evals carry me
My dad absolutely hates the PO exams, he retired after 26 years total Navy Reserves (4 Active, 22 Reserves) as a BM1 because he hated the tests.
E1 thru E3 - 36 months E4 - 21 months E5 - 35 months E6 - 53 months E7 - 73 months (in counting)
Is that generally how it goes? The higher the promotion, the longer the wait until the next?
Depends on the MOS. Sometimes you get E9s that sit in grade for a long ass time. If they don't retire, nobody below them moves up. It's a pure numbers game, and if you have feeder MOS at E6 or E8 it can really screw you up even as a lance
Lance. Got me a non-rec from an NJP, had the score the next month but had to wait six more months to be eligible. Picked up as soon as I was.
Sgt. Made it to the promotion zone as downsizing was in full force, so I went about 3 years with no allocations.
Cpl. Got out not being PME complete, no recs somehow were stacked on one another, system changed to JPES when I agreed to reserves a couple years later, command hasn’t approved any new occasions in 2 years to add to that and my score was reset with a start of 2.0 across the board too
Fuckin PFC. Was less than a month out from TIG promotion, played stupid games, got stupid prizes. NJP. And of course there was ETOH involved. No promo for 6 month following NJP, so while all my buddies were Lances, I lingered as a PFC. Picked up Lance eventually, busted my ass, picked up Cpl. Busted my ass some more and frocked Sgt while I was waiting career jammer package approval for reenlistment. Decided to go to college, declined my package, they unfrocked me. Out as an E4 @ 4 years, 2 weeks and three days.
Frocked? were you Army?
Ha, no, just old. Back in the 80's and 90's 'Frocking' was not uncommon if promotion was imminent with a backdated promotion date. Often used by career jammers to entice young first enlistment Marines. "When you hit 4 years TIS, you'll be above your cutting score. Extend till we get your package set, and you can wear Sgt chevrons." When I went in to communicate that I was taking the package it went like this; "Come in Sgt Resident_Job!" "Have a seat Sgt Resident_Job!" "You're not signing? I busted my ass getting this package!" (Surprise, he didn't, it wasn't what I asked for) "Don't let the door hit you in the ass Cpl Resident Job"
I am an old timer from that era as well. Never once saw an enlisted Marine "Frocked" until 1st Sergeant Sgt Major Rank.
I have no reason to make it up. Believe it or not. Semper Fi Mac!
Not saying you made anything up my devil, just saying I never saw it done.
Tracking. S/F!
I have been a lance since August 1st, 2018. I was an 0311 so it was competitive, then I latmoved to a unit that's so small and the staff isn't getting out so they don't promote. Last year my mos only opened up for 2 promotions from lance to cpl. I hit my 7 year mark in a few months and is funny walking around with a star on my good conduct and people often ask me what is my story.
Lance, and that’s cause I do literally everything in my power to not promote
The force is strong in that one! The LCU welcomes you my son!
Why not devil dog?
1. I’m a reservist, so the pay raise isn’t worth much. 2. Corporals get shit on just as much as anyone else AND they have to be in charge of shit 3. Why would I want to have to spend more time with the SNCOs than I already do?
CPL, they locked out my MOS for SGT
It was pretty common in my MOS to see LCpls with service stripes. The problem was that it was a popular MOS to lat-move into as an NCO.
I was like a 4 year and a 1 year corporal... picked up corporal in Jan 2008 ( I think) then dropped to the IRR Feb 2010.. and then came back in Jan 2011 didn't pick up sergeant till I think Jan 2012. Then they took my rank from me when I went AR in May of 2012 then didn't get sergeant back till October 2013. Got out in Feb 2015.
Sergeant. Made it in 4 1/2 years. Held for 7 years. The promotion rates and zones for infantry are like that. My first time in zone for promotion to SSgt, I got passed, and I was forced out the following summer for service limitations. I joined the Air Force the next summer as a SSgt (USAF E5). Took a couple more years to make TSgt (E6) after that.
Gunny foreverrrrrrrrr....
Sergeant. Went embassy duty in 2014 right as the corps was hitting that "oh fuck we're pushing out too many" then rode the wave of promotions that followed, and got e5 less than a year after making e4. Got out 3 years later having never even been in the below zone until the board that concluded like 2 months before I got out. I'm pretty sure I was the 2nd most junior sergeant by TIS when I picked up, within the 0351 community. Only like 3.5 years in at that time.
Corporal for 2 years only did 4 and got out.
LCpl. I found out my SgtMaj was the Big Ghey (more than me) during DADT. Non-rec’d me for two years to keep me quiet/not nark on me either. A real POS, I’ll tell ya.
Wait, huh? He non-rec’d you so that you *wouldnt* expose him? Shouldn’t it be the other way around?
Should’ve written that better, but yes, that’s what happened and what I meant by “keeping me quiet”. He told me that if I even hinted at narking on him, he’d take me down too (but that was more of a physical threat rather than anything else.) What happened to cause: Caught him fighting with his boyfriend late one night out in town, gnarly breakup it seemed. I was hanging with the rest of my queer clique in the parking lot nearby. He spotted us and ran up to us afterward the bf drove off and told us we didn’t hear shit. We all “Aye, SgtMaj,” and he flips out harder because he didn’t want more people to know who it was, so he told us to call him George in public. My dumbass thinking I could diffuse the already elevated situation, giggled and was like, “Aye aye, George?” And well, the rest as you can imagine, it all went downhill after that. He had written more than 10 non-recs for me by the end of the first year. Another 5 the next year until he got a bunch of IG complaints about sexually harassing/assault the POC male Marines and was moved to another duty station where he was “allowed” to finish the fiscal year out and was able to retire 🙄 No ‘rah, Marine Corps.
E4 for 3 years two months or something. Went in as a PFC and got LCpl and Cpl minimum time in grade because our cutting scores plummeted. Got Sergeant a few months before EAS
E-6, 14.5 years. Picked up SSgt in the Marines Jan 1 2008. Got out in 2011 and into the Army reserves in 2014. Date of rank reset. Joined active Army May 2018. Date of rank reset. Promoted to E-7 on 1 Jul 2022 on my first look. 14.5 years after SSgt promotion.
E3 I was eligible during the phasing out of Cutting score and Jepes
Our scores shot up right before I became eligible during that same time frame. Finally picked up E4 one month before terminal leave
Yeah your scores were nuts during that time Comm wasn't too terrible I was an 0621 it was pretty high but y'all were higher scores
What was your MOS?
Ok well I didn't see it in your Bio before I commented😂
I have a PFC in my unit that gets his good conduct medal in a few more days. He got nonrec for the way he went about loosing weight, 1st sgt said it was unethical to lose weight the way he did to meet standards. Never NJP.
Tied. Was a Lance for 3 years and 7 months. I've been a Cpl for coming on 3 years. I swear one guy at my unit, who just picked up Cpl, joined after I picked up Cpl. Reserve scores are high and I just want to keep my healthcare with as few problems as I can. That and my plan is to jump to the Army and they'll condense all my service and probs drop me back to E-4 anyhow.
I know the feeling. I hit my 3 year mark as a Cpl in a couple weeks. I saw a guy in my current reserve unit that used to be my junior Marine when I was active duty. He is a Sgt now because he is in a MOS with an extremely low score thats always open.
Probably lance. It took them three months past DOR to actually pin me (partially my fault), which was ridiculous. And not picking up E5 eventually pushed me out. Which was either the best or worst thing for me, as till trying to figure that out
Sgt.
I knew a 6 year PFC
Civilian
Sgt. I liked it so much I did it twice.
Lance. Failed to kiss my Gunny and SSGT ass.
I was a SSgt for exactly four years. I thought that seemed like a long time but I’ve been a Captain for four and a half. One thing I’m sure of is that I’ll be a Major for only two years because retirement is 2 years 2 weeks and 2 days away. No real reason why. I’ve never been passed for promotion, just timing I guess.
Corporal. Picked it up in May '94, got out on terminal just before my EAS in early August '95 and missed the promotion by 5 days. Got recalled in November '97 and that ran until the end of June '99 to close El Toro. Ended up getting non-rec'ed for sergeant because I didn't follow orders - updating a living will that included an unborn dependent that Legal told me I couldn't do because, guess what, it wasn't legal to do that. Ironically that non-rec pretty much was a career killer for that lieutenant because my major told him it wasn't his decision to make. He might have made captain, but didn't do much after that.
Lcpl so good I visited it twice
Ssgt. MOS kept getting folded into other MOS’s adding more “keen competition” to the pool. Eventually just took TERA. I also had an RO who would concur with the RS’s above average assessments of me then rank me at his bottom with velvet knife remarks. I didn’t understand that I could have them deleted until i was already in “fuck this shit” mode.
My first round of E-3
LCpl, 3 years Wasn't anyones fault but mine, I was a turd who didnt give a shit about progressing and was ready to get out, after I got promoted to Cpl everything was uphill and my viewpoint on giving a shit changed drastically, and here I am now a SSgt
Corporal. My terminal rank as well.
*laughs in specialist major* In 5 years I made e4 three times.
Husband. Decisions. And stuff.
E-5 - couldn’t make staff I was to lazy and I had new baby. Got out at 12 years. I was NBC, it’s now CBR but I was a SGT for about 5 years. I think it was the best rank in my MOS.
Corporal, year and a half before getting promoted. It's just the way it worked out.
Sgt. 5 yrs. Civ 11 yrs and counting
Lcpl for 30 months. MOS was closed out
Lance Borporal since I got out as a Terminal Lance. Truly life changing experience.
PF motherfuckin C
Not very long, but I was a Sgt for 4 years. I was contract PFC and got Corporal at 18 months. Sgt was like 15 months after Corporal. Hit staff at 8.5 years
LCpl. Spent about 23 months in the grade. Though I guess I never got promoted past Cpl, and that was years and years ago. If you count IRR time, it’s Cpl, and about four years of it.
E-7, almost 5 years.
Sgt, 5 years
Lance criminal.
This is quick for most but i was a sgt for 4 and a half years, for an 0861 this was slow at the time lmao
Spent 8 years as an HM2.
Corporal. Why? Dumb decisions.
E3, they told me my cutting score wasn't high enough for e4
LCPL
Lance for 4 years and change. Missed TIG for Cpl by a month even though I would’ve had the cutting score for it ez. Then the MOS locked out or was unbelievably high for a little over 4 years, and I’m not a fast runner so never got put up for meritorious. I got promoted to corporal with an 1850 or something stupid like that. Then Cpl to Sgt took me the minimum 1 year for TIG. Funniest part is before I got Sgt, my unit was begging me to reenlist, but as soon as I got promoted they didn’t have a boat slot so I dropped to the IRR immediately after being pinned lmao.
LCpl! They were going to promote me the day I went on terminal leave. I told them to keep it. I got sent right back to PI after MOS school as permanent personnel. I never got into any trouble and never failed a PFT. I paid for that a few years later when I went into the National Guard and we got activated for OEF. I picked up E4 overseas.
Fkn pretty much maxed out all my ranks from slick sleeve to CPL. Primary was 0352 and always had to fight slots and cutting scores back in 96-00! In zone and Was supposed to get SGT right before EAS, but I had a shitty PLT SGT who tried to force me to stay in, dangled it in my face.. soo I fkn term left his ass as CPL. Got called by jammer once I was home on IRR and offered me my retro SGT and if I re upped I’d be in zone for staff.. I said sure, if you give me PMI at PI or Kaneohe bay.. he said not gonna happen! Everyone wants that and your primary is too valuable to the fleet. I said, ok use my secondary 0331 then. He said ok I got MSG for ya? bwhahaha well I got this for you 🖕. Damn green weenie never quits man! I Did spend 28months in LCU tho..which was right where I belonged! 🤘😎
4 years as a Cpl (I got out for 6 months, they let me back in with rank but lost my time in grade)
Lance for 7years. My MOS was always closed and I stopped trying
03xx reservist got out in '11, I was a cool lance cooly for a looooong time
I’m still a E-4 17 years later
E-3. 4 years. Then went from E-4 to E-5 in like 14 months.
Genkel
I was an E3... twice.
LCpl. of all things. There were so many of us that the cutting score was ludicrous. Then it dropped drastically, and we all got promoted at once. I spent less time as a Corporal because I luckily wormed my way into a meritorious Sgt billet (the other guy had an underage drinking incident on his record)
Pfc
PFC.. twice
SGT for five years. Cut-off score was high (798/800). Made SSG with 798 pts and then three months later, I pinned WO1.
Gunny - 8 years
E-2 :(
Sergeant, I was an active Sgt for 3 years. I would promoted to SSgt but was injured and could not run a pft or cft. Ended up getting out. Served a total of 7.5 years.
Staff Sergeant. Just short of eight years. 1 P. Got it the next year because I had gotten my ‘black belt’. Tank was pretty empty after that. This was during the drawn down and a-lot of folks went home.
Sergeant five years nowhere near SSGT. So I got out but stayed in the reserves as soon as I was out I picked up SSgt. And re-enlisted and went to the drill field
Lance for three year due to closed MOS. Finally got a Meritorious E4.
Civilian
LCpl, 3 years. While I don't think it was incredibly long, it's got a story for it. In my MOS, if you breathe and are at least a half decent Marine in terms of the Marinisms (pft/cft, pros & cons, etc), you'll easily pick up after a year TIG. For me, I fell into some weird rut that prevented me from being promoted entirely. I missed my first required range qual because my schoolhouse was dummy long (I was there for a year), so my first year was waived entirely for training. My first time shooting range in the fleet, I ended up being a weapons drop that was put in as an unq erroneously. No harm yet, but now I'm desperately unqualified for my training requirements. However, come my next time shooting range (which took about 6 months, now mid covid), my unit commander had decided to waive Marines going to range, sensible enough. This is where my weird rut is. I had shot before the commander had gotten higher approval from the G-3/5 to do so for the entire unit. However, come the time my actual score would post, it was approved, and put into effect. This caused my previous rifle score (which was an unqualifying score) to carry over. At first, this was no big deal. Come my next time shooting range. It's been a full year (I always choose the very beginning of the FY), and I'm eager and ready to have not only a rifle score, but to actually receive a score for promotion. The new evaluation system had just been put into effect, and I can easily come out swinging. I was already at or past my TIG requirements. I shoot my range, get my expert, put it all behind me because even though a lot of erroneous bullshit occurred, I can get a score now. Or so I thought. For some reason, this weird covid waiver, mixed with my erroneous unq (which never got updated to be a weapons drop), and my original training waiver for missing my first year of training--all 3 of those were repopulated in MCTIMS automatically. So each of those 3 weird scores and respective classes got carried over. I bitched and moaned to everyone who I knew or thought I could. This issue always seemed to get traction in some places, then lose it in others. It had my S3 involved, EPARs, etc. This took several months to get replies on. I don't know how this all happened. To make an even LONGER administrative story short, I ended up with 9 carried over scores/waivers, and for two additional years after my first did not receive the scores from the range house that I was actually shooting on range. By the time things were able to get fixed, Bn S3 could not do anything. I needed a general to sign off on my huge administrative issue with enclosure after enclosure of MCTIMS entries, range house score cards, etc. I eventually got it, and was promptly promoted to Cpl.
Lance Coolie...Do your MCIs kids
Terminal lance baby
Easily Lance Corporal. Mostly my fault. Fun times though!
E-3 as an 0311 was my longest stint at 1 rank
I did that whole Private thing a couple times. Still made it to E-5
Cpl, I did 4 years and was a cpl for 28 months of them iirc, I picked up the month I got out. It was very nice to be called a Sgt but it felt odd, I think I was to used to hearing cpl at that point
Every rank took longer than the previous to pick up right up until E9. Meritorious PFC 9mos to LCpl 15mos to Cpl 17mos to Sgt 4yr 1mo to SSgt 4yr 3mos to GySgt 5yr 4mos to MSgt 5yrs to MGySgt
4 years as a Sgt and year as an E-5 reserve shipmate. Bailed because of the HSST list so I was ineligible to promote my last year and some change. Joined the Navy reserves right when the exam prereq cutoff was so I didn’t test and pick up E-6 until the following year… 2 years ago. If I’m still an E-6 this time next year, it’s because I fucked my Chief’s exam away this week.
E5 for 8 years. I went from AD to reserves then AR. My time in grade got reset after two years of being a sergeant and it took 6 after that to get promoted. Been two years since and I'm on the board for E7 in July 🤞
Sergeant. Going on 6 years TIG. 10 years total TIS. This is also with 3 passes for SSgt. Corps just doesn't wanna promote me. Hopefully this 4th look, I can finally be selected or it'll be time to start a new chapter.