Do band members really get promoted to staff sergeant only four months after enlisting in the Army?
Yes. According to Army Regulation 601-210, Chapter 7, Section II, Paragraph 7-12b, “For applicants enlisting in the United States Army Special Bands, promotion to the accelerated grade [of E6, i.e., staff sergeant] . . . will be made . . . after successful completion of all training required by the enlistment program. . .. This includes 8 weeks of successful performance in the skill [after 9 weeks of Basic Training, for a total of 4 months]. The accelerated grade will be awarded to qualified Soldiers without regard to time in grade, time in service, or promotion allocation.” This accelerated rank is based both on the work accomplished as civilians and the level of work expected as incoming Special Bandspersons.
