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14
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Today was my promotion ceremony, my first one I must say, surrounded by NCOs, my 1SG, my CSM, my CDR I thought about my future in the service and how many promotions more I will get in my career. Since this was an automatic promotion, there is a lack of satisfaction about it because I just needed to stay out of trouble to get it. But I'm really glad that I stayed out of trouble.
After all your years of service, all those hours spent studying for the board, your deployments, all the correspondance courses, your awards and all the APFTs that you tried to max out to get more points, which is the promotion that you remember with more sentiment value?
After all your years of service, all those hours spent studying for the board, your deployments, all the correspondance courses, your awards and all the APFTs that you tried to max out to get more points, which is the promotion that you remember with more sentiment value?
Experience
Rank
Promotions
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 50
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16
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9
9
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Corporal of Marines in 1987.
Formation, followed by the pinning on of the stripes (which back then meant that everyone in formation that was E-4 and up formed two rows/a gauntlet and you got each stripe/arm pinned on by each Marine) Holy CRAP was that painful.
That...was followed on by the pinning on of the "Blood Stripes" which was the same thing, except those are on the legs (for my non USMC brothers and sisters). By the time the ceremony is over, you can barely walk or salute. So I was then sent up to work the Main Gate, and everyone who came in congratulated, because they could see exactly what was up.
Remember that promotion with pride, for the rest of my life. I am old school, and do not consider that as hazing, but as a rite of passage. My entire career pivoted on that day, because in the Corps at E-4, you are an NCO, and the world is entirely different. For example, I now had "opinions".
That may not be the way it is done now, and it may not be how it was done everywhere then. It was where I was at, and I would have not done it any other way.
I have had each set pinned (sleeves only-Blood Stripes were a one-time thing) on after, and always ask to make it "count". Of course the gauntlet has decreased in size.....thankfully LOL.
Semper Fi.
Formation, followed by the pinning on of the stripes (which back then meant that everyone in formation that was E-4 and up formed two rows/a gauntlet and you got each stripe/arm pinned on by each Marine) Holy CRAP was that painful.
That...was followed on by the pinning on of the "Blood Stripes" which was the same thing, except those are on the legs (for my non USMC brothers and sisters). By the time the ceremony is over, you can barely walk or salute. So I was then sent up to work the Main Gate, and everyone who came in congratulated, because they could see exactly what was up.
Remember that promotion with pride, for the rest of my life. I am old school, and do not consider that as hazing, but as a rite of passage. My entire career pivoted on that day, because in the Corps at E-4, you are an NCO, and the world is entirely different. For example, I now had "opinions".
That may not be the way it is done now, and it may not be how it was done everywhere then. It was where I was at, and I would have not done it any other way.
I have had each set pinned (sleeves only-Blood Stripes were a one-time thing) on after, and always ask to make it "count". Of course the gauntlet has decreased in size.....thankfully LOL.
Semper Fi.
(9)
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SFC Cindy Paris
"Blood Stripes" are not just in the Corps. When I made E5 in Frankfurt, Germany, all the other NCOs came through and hit both my collar pins. 30 years later and if you look close enough you can still see my scars. Only scars I have that I carry with pride.
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Sgt Adam Jennings
I wish they still did the gauntlet, I looked so forward to it but we had that stick in te mud command that insisted that it would not be done, even though we were in Iraq. It is what it is I guess.
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5
5
0
My most memorable promotion, was being promoted to MSgt (E-7). I was deployed to Iraq and we were in the middle of a mass casualty, I had been scrubbed in on a surgical case for three hours when I realized that the release time had come and gone. I hadn't seen my CC or 1st Sgt, so I just assumed everyone was busy with the wounded (or at least I hope that was the case). This was my fourth time testing for E-7 and I figured if I didn't make it this time, that I should just plan to retire as an E-6. So I'm scrubbed in, blood up to my elbows, focusing on what we were doing and the leg we were trying to save, when my bunkmate came to the Operating Room door, pointed at me, then pointed at herself and then gave me a big thumbs up (she had also made E-7). I gave a little "whoop" of joy and then quickly regained my military bearing as I then had to explain to everyone in the room what I had found out. We saved the life of the patient and I got promoted, what better way to get promoted then serving our country & accomplishing your true mission. By the time I made it to a computer (several hours later), my email was full of congratulations and even my family had been notified by home base leadership.
(5)
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