I was thinking the same thing.....RTO wrote:Just noticed. You made SGT (E5) & 2nd Lieutenant in one year? WoW. That's impressive. I was still a PFC after my first yearCB wrote: Enlisted 1970. Age 18.
Basic training Ft. Polk, LA.
AIT Ft. Leonard Wood, MO: MOS 12A Pioneer Engineer.
NCO Candidate Company: SGT(E5) Combat Engineer 12B40.
Infantry OCS - 2nd Lieutenant 20 JAN 72 - Age 19.
Greetings from CB
Moderator: Site Admin
Re: Greetings from CB
Finally, I'm able to log in.
Sorry for the delay in responding to the warm welcomes (except for the "had" comments). 
I use AOL and had to use a workaround to get the forum to let me in
.
Anyway, promotions were easy during the 'Nam era.
20% of the Basic training Class could be promoted to E2.
20% of AIT could be promoted to PFC.
Then there was a type of NCO school called NCOCC (Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Company; the old timers (late 1960's early 1970's) will remember it as "NCO Shake and Bake.)" If selected, you attended 15 weeks of NCO school, kind of like an OCS for Sergeants. You were promoted to Coporal immediately upon arriving at the school. 15 weeks later, you were promoted to Sergeant E5 temporarily, and sent out for eight weeks to push a cycle of AIT trainees through as a drill sergeant. IF you did well, the SGT became permanent. If not, you were reduced to CPL. In either case, your next assignment was almost always Viet Nam.
There is a down side to graduating at the top of all your classes ... they keep sending you to more schools. So I was awaiting orders to WESTPAC when my application for OCS was approved. Back then, there was no college requirement, so I became the last officer on active duty to be commissioned with a high school diploma and zero college, age 19.
Of course, when the Viet Nam war ended, I was Number One standing in the door for the resulting reductions in force. Off to the USAR, college and law school.
I use AOL and had to use a workaround to get the forum to let me in
.Anyway, promotions were easy during the 'Nam era.
20% of the Basic training Class could be promoted to E2.
20% of AIT could be promoted to PFC.
Then there was a type of NCO school called NCOCC (Noncommissioned Officer Candidate Company; the old timers (late 1960's early 1970's) will remember it as "NCO Shake and Bake.)" If selected, you attended 15 weeks of NCO school, kind of like an OCS for Sergeants. You were promoted to Coporal immediately upon arriving at the school. 15 weeks later, you were promoted to Sergeant E5 temporarily, and sent out for eight weeks to push a cycle of AIT trainees through as a drill sergeant. IF you did well, the SGT became permanent. If not, you were reduced to CPL. In either case, your next assignment was almost always Viet Nam.
There is a down side to graduating at the top of all your classes ... they keep sending you to more schools. So I was awaiting orders to WESTPAC when my application for OCS was approved. Back then, there was no college requirement, so I became the last officer on active duty to be commissioned with a high school diploma and zero college, age 19.
Of course, when the Viet Nam war ended, I was Number One standing in the door for the resulting reductions in force. Off to the USAR, college and law school.
Ranger Class 8-74
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Soul Snatcher
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Soul Snatcher
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