galaxy flyer

Dave fine

Just asking', but Lt Col Steffens could not have been a LT Col in Korea, at the end of the conflict he would have been only 26 with about 6 years of commissioned service. Not taking anything away from him and know his great reputation from a nearby fighter unit, but it hardly seems possible to have 27 years in grade.

GF

crewdawg

Anything is possible during war...Lemay went form 1LT to Maj Gen in 4 years.

USMCFLYR

Dates of rank
Army ROTC Cadet: September 1924
Second Lieutenant, Field Artillery Reserve: June 14, 1928
Second Lieutenant, Ohio National Guard: September 22, 1928
Flight Cadet, Army Air Corps: September 28, 1928
Officer Commissions Terminated: October 2, 1929
Second Lieutenant, Air Corps Reserve: October 12, 1929
Second Lieutenant, Army Air Corps: February 1, 1930
First Lieutenant, Army Air Corps: March 12, 1935
Captain, Army Air Corps: January 26, 1940
Major, Army Air Corps: March 21, 1941
Lieutenant Colonel, Army of the United States: January 23, 1942
Colonel, Army of the United States: June 17, 1942
Brigadier General, Army of the United States: September 28, 1943
Permanent in the Regular Army: June 22, 1946
Major General, Army of the United States: March 3, 1944
Lieutenant General, United States Air Force: January 26, 1948
General, United States Air Force: October 29, 1951
General, USAF (Retired): February 1, 1965
---------------
Pretty fast promotion track - but it doesn't seem that he went from O-2 to O-9 in only 4 years. THe part of the article below shows Captain to MajGen in 3 years, though some were temporary ranks it seems.
Promotions certainly could come fast in time of war - especially counting for battlefield promotions and when MAJORS were in command of B-17 units! I wonder if such fast promotion tracks were anywhere the norm except for maybe the most exceptional in the 50s and beyond?

USMCFLYR

crewdawg

Haha...I knew I would get called on that! It's semantics but he was still a 1LT for the first 25 days of 1940. Also, I said he went from 1LT to MAJ Gen (O-8)...not O-9. But we're splitting hairs here...it's still crazy to get that kind of fast track.

As was said it my other quote. Robin Olds was a Fighter Sq/CC as a major in his early 20s! Different times for sure! I remember when I was 22...I was still busy getting drunk and chasin tail in college!

USMCFLYR

- well - some detailed semantics then. The O-9 was a mis-type on my part - sorry.
Yes - LeMay had a meteoric rise in the ranks at one time, but I'd feel fairly confident to call that one of the extremes.
How about 20'something year old Colonels in the Civil War?

USMCFLYR

crewdawg

for sure!

Agreed. I would also agree that it takes a war of that magnitude, to have such promotions. I was just pointing out to galaxy flyer, that it could have happened back then.

KennHC130

Finedave--I knew Perry (Mr. Saltzgiver to me) through his kids I went to high school with. Only after being in the AF on AD for 2 years did I find out his connection with the CT ANG and by then it was too late to save me. He did have an awesome A-10 rap video about the Warthog he showed me a few years later when I was home to visit. Haven't been able to find it since. There was no internet then, so it probably never made it on youtube. Hysterically funny poking fun at the Hawg.

Kenn

XHooker

I can't touch time in grade or the stories, but for getting my monies worth out of Uncle Sam, I think I can give anyone a run for their money. Quitters (Two Year) bonus... decide to stick around and take the big bonus... get passed over for O-4 and get separation pay, then turn around and go into the reserves. The downside is part of my lump sum bonus comes out of my retirement pay beginning at age 60. The good side to that is I'll have over a quarter century of inflation to lessen the sting.

To Stay or Go

And assuming the record keepers stay up with it. They've been known to screw things up. I bet you get full retirement pay at 60.