Re: Force sizes-Confusing US ranks

--- Scott Case <tgunner@hotmail.com> wrote:

> of the E-4 rank... which can either be a specalist,
> a guy who has the grade 
> and pay, but hasn't gone to PLDC or the Primary
> Leadership Development 
> Course, and so CAN'T be promoted to Sergeant. Not
> going to PLDC, in peace 
> time, and being an E-4 means that you are well on
> your way to becoming a PFC 
> (private f&*(%^$ civilan) once again ;)

That's not true.  I've been an E-4 for forever--came
in the Regular Army that way.  Specialist the whole
time.  

Specialist:  Overpaid senior private.  It's almost
automatic at 26 months of service, but can be given at
18 months (with waiver).  Frequently acts as an NCO in
an E-5 slot, but without the NCO legal authority.

There are 3 hoops you have to go through to make E5
Sergeant.

Promotion Board:  Stand up in Class As and answer a
bunch of questions.  Pretty stupid, but there's about
a 75% pass rate and you can retake it

PLDC:  Primary Leadership Development Course.

Points:  Arcane system, not given to discussing in
brevity.  

Now, you have to have all 3 to permenantly be promoted
to sergeant.  If you have just the Board, or the board
and PLDC, you are a Specialist (Promotable).  If you
have the Board and the points, you can be "Frocked" to
E-5 which means you get the promotion but it's
contingent on passing PLDC.  If you flunk PLDC, then
you not only get busted to SPC, you get to pay back
the difference between SPC and SGT pay for the time
you were recieving SGT pay.  You can actually go to
PLDC before going to the board, but that's pretty rare
since most units don't have enough slots to get all
their promotable specialists to PLDC much less other
ones.

Corporal:  Specialists in any leadership positions can
be laterally promoted to Corporal, which means
basically all the responsibilities and the authority
of a Sergeant, without the pay and with the hindrance
of being junior to a real sergeant.  Frequently used
for people who are promotable and been to PLDC who
haven't made points yet.

There's also DA corporals, but I've never met one and
have no idea why DA would make anyone a corporal.

Oh, and an enlisted man who medically retires (we had
a guy come down with cancer in Germany, for instance)
is automatically promoted to Corporal because you
cannot retire as a junior enlisted man.  Have to be an
NCO or officer.

John M. Atkinson
SPC, USA

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