filling a position without the rank

Sounds like it has worked to your benefit.

I have done it more than once for sure. The only issue I had was that there were people who could fill the position but chose not to. Yet I had one come tell me he did not like the way I ran the Platoon. I told him to take it then. Of course he had too many excuses as to why he could not fill the Platoon Sergeant Position as an E-7 which is the ARMY's description for such rank.

I am currently waiting on something to see if I will retire or not.

I retired in 1995. I made E5 in about 2 years. The problem with making SGT so quickly it took me many years to get promoted to SSG.

My MOS was signal and I was always slotted in E-6 positions. Mostly operations in the company.

I. 1978 I was stationed with the 101st as a SGT. Being in a deployable combat unit as a SGT with 10 years service I had more time in grade and service than all the other SGT's and SSG's. Being in a combat support maintenance unit with 8 different shops I was used by the 1SG to fill SSG positions as NCOIC of shops when the NCO would PCS and there were no replacements slated to fill the open positions.

I survived by reading TM's and learning the jobs of each shop I would run. My military skills as an NCO allowed me to operate in those positions. The chain of command was superior and allowed me the freedom to lead. In the 4 years of my first assignment there I became the NCOIC of the Armament Repair, Recovery Wrecker Movement & Welding, Division Technical Parts Distribution Center and Shop Operations NCOIC.

Imy next assignment was Korea. I was assigned to a mobile maintenance communication repair shop. We traveled to every post and mountain top to provide scheduled and emergency repair of defense communications. When I arrived there were 2 SFC's and 3 SSG's. I was a SGT. Within 2 months all had PCS'd leaving me in and E-8 slot until I rotated.

I went back to the 101st as a Commo Chief for a combat engineer company when I made SSG and became a Platoon Sergeant in an SFC position and became the TOC NCOIC of operations as and additional duty when deployed.

PCS'd to Ft Gordon Signal a school and was selected as a training battalion Platoon Seegeant with duties as a Drill Sergeant. This was an SFC position. As a matter of fact I was the last platoon sergeant I the trail as the Drill Sergeants relieved us of this duty.

Arrived in Germany as a SSG and made SFC. I was selected to be the Station Commander of a communications Site providing command and control communications for tactical nuclear weapons in Europe. This was a Master Sergeants position.

Went to Somalia as a communications chief and arrived back in my unit in Geemany and was selected as acting 1SG. Due to the drawdown in Germany my MOS was not needed and received orders to leave before my 1SG position was solidified.

So basically most of my career I worked at least 1 and 2 grades above mine. Some were presented to me and some I volunteered.

I had my company for eight months. It was horrible when my replacement showed up. I kept hoping he would get deleted or re-routed. Ah, too bad. It was the most rewarding and challenging time of my career.

*edit gammar fix.