All soldiers must now serve as corporals before promotion to sergeant

I'm saying that some things they do don't make sense, but they make even less sense now, that in the past.

I understand You I went from SPC when my leadership thought I was ready to try to be a leader I was placed in a vacant 5 slot lateraled to Corporal. If I performed I kept the slot if I sucked I got my ass kicked back to SPC. I rocked and kept the slot was sent to PLDC and got my 5. I do not understand why this concept is so hard to follow it has worked for years and units just got lazy and stopped using it.

MSG Greg Kelly - I was a Broadcast Engineer, and I wasn't interested in becoming a Corporal or a Sargent. I liked the pressure of mission critical work, and keeping the place in great condition. I would lose the hands on work, if I was promoted into a leadership position. I only served two years active, because of the political BS.

MSG Greg Kelly - I was still E2 at Ft. Rucker, but I was assigned to an E5 slot in the Weathervision section. I had both the RADAR and AV sections trying to force a transfer to one of them, because I had helped both with problems when they were short handed or stumped. I always loved to see the light go on over someone's head when a quick drawing, and a few instructions caused a breakthrough in their thinking.
That continued after I left the Army. I got into a conversation with our Microwave uplink division about uplinking from two ground stations to a single satellite transponder. The head engineer told me it was impossible. I told him how to do it. Then I insulted him by telling him that if he couldn't build the adapter in an afternoon that he should quit. He did it, then other companies did the same. My Internet connection uses what I designed in 1983, but I never got credit for the concept.

COL Lisandro Murphy That's exactly what I was thinking. When I was in 30+ years ago there were no Corporal positions in say an S-2. Specialists, all specialists.

There is a place for the Specialist ranks, and a place for NCO's. This push for hard stripes is going to end up with, "so, what is YOUR promotion date"! Bring back all the Specialists ranks!

Keep spec4 because that’s the divider that separates the lower enlisted from the NCO corps CPL E4 is a great beginning for preparing to be a good NCO, PLDC is the start point to show and prove you have the basic building blocks of being able to lead that’s the CPL is the the backbone of the NCO corps they are the hard chargers that are honing there skills in leadership and earning the respect and trust of those they are leading and those that are observing and evaluating them for that next step in leadership and it will show in their NCOER’s this is how it helps them to to make those small corrections that they need to make instead of big ones later because of a bad habit or making the same mistakes or bad decisions that could potentially hurt them on an NCOER this why you need both Spec4 and CPL E4 now a small bump in pay to also show a separate distinction between lower enlisted and the beginning start of the NCO corps is a pretty good insensitive to get soldiers to push themselves a little harder goes along way.
When I made CPL E4, CPL was highly respected in the combat arms you could walk through a crowded hall and the Spec4’s and below would see those CPL stripes on the the collar and would make a hole and make it wide like you would for a CSM, gotta keep the Spec4 so the CPL E4’s still have that hard stripe respect other they end up continuing to be apart of the E4 mafia and messing around with the rest of the lower enlisted CPL’s are an NCO and need to held to that higher standard of the NCO corps no risk getting a not so great NCOER yes there is always room to grow but the is where you can self-correct easily rather than have to really work super hard to fix and improve and struggle which leads in that nice saying work smarter not harder.

SSG Byron Hewett - That were the E5 and above have to mentor the CPL's so they understand they are now Born Again Hard Striped and You will put both boots in his /her ass. If they start screwing up.

MAJ Dale E. Wilson, Ph.D. - We had a patrol anyway but I was told to take these two since I was short troops. I said no that's OK. But it was not a request. But sometimes short is better.

SSG Byron Hewett You have clearly given this a good deal of thought. Good on you!