The movie makes references to Korea and how Highway was awarded the CMOH. Let's say he was 18 in 1952. His birth year would then be 1934 and since this movie's main action scene was loosely based on Grenada (1983), Highway would have been 49 or so. My question is can you have 31 years in and still "only" be a gunnery seargent? Aren't there some "up or out" provisions in the Corps?
Just curious.
Their are age limits. It's almost impossible for an enlisted Marine to have over 22 years IF he hasn't made Sergeant Major. Don't know what the requirements were back then but, as I learned in the Corps, their are waivers for everything. If you earn the Congressional Medal of Honor, you pretty much walk on water and the entire armed forces would be kissing your ass. Gunny Highway didn't suck up to anyone so that explains why he didn't get promoted higher than Gunny (not saying anybody higher than that has sucked up for their rank) and the arrests sure as hell didn't help either. But, like I always say, it's a movie so anything is possible.
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DevilDog604, thanks for the response and thanks for your service to our country. Interesting response.
Choozo and Highway were in the Army first, they went in before age 18, which was common way back then. Choozo mentions this when he bails out Highway and Jones and told this to Jones at the bar while telling him the Medal Of Honor story.
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That really sucks he could still stay in, because in the Air Force if you get busted down, you're pretty much out the door as well and have to do something heinous to get busted down
shareWhen I left the USMC in 1994, if you did anything wrong, you could expect to have re-enlistment requests denied, especially if you had an MOS (read job field) that was overpopulated. That was a while ago, and with the current state of affairs, I am not sure what it takes to get denied re-enlistment these days. I’ve heard that recruiters are having tough times.
That being said, I think it would take a lot of misbehavior in any era to overcome the Congressional Medal Of Honor. As I remember, ANYONE to whom the CMOH has been awarded gets saluted, regardless of rank. That is testament to the amount of respect given to individuals who have earned the right to wear the medal, especially if they lived to tell about it.
This movie came out about 2 years before I arrived at Parris Island. After I had signed my first papers, there were many days that I would get home from high-school and my dad would have this movie playing in the VCR. Having spent 6 years in the Corps, I will tell you that there’s a lot of stuff that may raise the eyebrow of your average Devil Dog, but I don’t recall anything that was too outrageous. When I watch it now, I find it nostalgic, but not exactly true to life. It reminds me of the relationships and camaraderie that can happen between fellow Marines. The kind of stuff that is hard to find in the corporate world.
When I talk about “true to life”, I’m not considering ages and years that events would need to take place. About the only time I do something like that is when I see a helicopter flying around in the age of fixed-wing only aircraft.
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I'm a TSgt with 17 years in and came to the realization slowly but surely that doing an honest 20 years means you'll retire as a TSgt or MSgt. To make SMSgt and CMsgt, you have to either play office politics or know the right people. In the old days, you made those ranks in most cases because you were good at your job and a good NCO. About the Army, many think even in the Air Force if you don't make E5 in less than 6 years or E6 in less than 10, something is wrong.
shareI know back in the early 80s, when this supposedly takes place, the Marine Corps was alot different then it is now. I know when I went to boot camp in 1993, and went to my first duty station I knew Marines who were in during that time and they all had stories about those times. As far as promotion requirements, they have definitely changed alot. I am off active duty now, but still in the IRR but I am sure it hasnt changed much since I got out, but here is how it goes..
Pvt (E-1) to LCPL (E-3) it is basically guaranteed unless you screw up. It is all about time in grade (rank) and time is service (total time in the Marines). I was a PFC (E-2) when I graduated boot camp and I think it was 9 months later I was promoted to LCPL
Cpl and SGT is a little different. All the things that Marines test in, like Rifle Range, and PFT (physical fitness test) and your proficiency and conduct marks, your time in grade and time in service, etc, are added tohether to make a composite score. Every quarter the Marines, based on needs and based on MOS (military occupational specialty) publishes a minimum score needed in order to be promoted. So if you have that score or higher, and are recommended for promotion, you will get promoted. But alot of times the MOS is "closed" meaning no score is published, which means no one gets promoted regardless of your composite score. So depending on your MOS you might get promoted fast, OR be unlucky and even though you are a good Marine not get promnoted as fast as someone in a different MOS. The Marines like to have a pyramaid of ranks, having less and less of each rank as they go higher. So depending on who gets promoted ahead of you and who gets out, your chances vary with each quarter. The best you can do is try and max out all your scores, or try and get meritoriously promoted.
once you are a SGT things get a little more tricky. Its been a while so its a little fuzzy, anyone feel free to correct me. Every SGT and above gets a fitness report at regular intervals and this fitness report is exactly what it means. It is a report on your fitness as a leader of Marines. It also takes into account your PFT score and rifle range score but in a different way. You are judged against your peers on several categories of fitness and abilities from poor to outstanding (obvioulsy you want to get outstandings)and this report goes into your personel file (SRB, service record book). And every quarter the Marines publish who is "below zone", "in zone" and "above zone" for promotion. This basically means who is eligible for promotion based on time in grade and time in service. Now once you are in zone you have 3 chances to get promoted. All the Marines who are elegible, and in zone, their info gets sent before a promotion board and they look at your info, fitreps, and a picture of you, and basically vote on whether or not to promote you to the next rank. It gets pretty hairy sometimes, because if you get passed over 3 times you can basically kiss your career goodbye. After getting passed over the 2nd time you better pray to chesty puller and archibald henderson and get a 300 pft or something. Gunny Highway im sure would get passed over because of his record, but the Marines would never throw out a medal of honor winner, even if he is a little crazy.
Now the Officer promotions are a different story. 2nd LT to 1st Lt is pretty much guaranteed. Its set at 2 years pretty much no varying form that unless you are really really good or really really bad. from 1stlt to captain it sometimes varies a little bit depending on MOS and billet ( you can get promoted in rank but not in pay so that you can fill a billet meant for a captain when you havent gotten regularly promoted to captain yet.) Now once you get above captain im not really sure how it works, until you get to colonel and above. colonel and above its alot of politics. I have seen once star generals make 3 star or even 4 stars in 4 years, when it took them 25 years to get to one star. It all depends on where you get appointed to. General officer positions are meant for certain ranks. Certain command billets are meant for 1 star, others for 3 star, etc. So if you are a 1 star base commander,and get reassigned to be commander of the FMFPAC, which may be a 2 star position, then BAM you have 2 stars. Politics play a big role, who you know, and who knows you.
so there you have it... im sure i missed some things, its late and ive been flying all day and my eyes are beat so I dont feel like proof reading it. if i made a mistake please correct me
semper fi
Wrong.
I've seen so many enlisted folks get busted down in the AF, and for some pretty stupid things - failure to pay credit card (Govt card, not personal) bills, improper use of govt Credit Card, etc - and then be eligible to retest the next cycle, and get their old rank back within a year to 18 months. Hell, I even saw a guy get busted for sexual harrassment, and lose his accession for an officer promotion. He was busted down one rank, retested the next year and put NCO back on, then was selected for officer promotion again the next cycle after that.
The moral? You don't have to do anything heinous to get busted, and it's not the end of the world if you do get busted.
Yep, that's the Air Force for you. Make one mistake and you pay for it the rest of your career. They promote you on account of how well you've done for the past 5 years, not recent physical fitness tests or your potential.
And yes, they cut you no slack with GOV credit card. You don't pay it on time or use it for anything other than travel expenses or food while traveling, they bust you hard.
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clint eastood was born in 1930 so he was supposed to be 53
shareI assume Highway's character to be about 48-49 years old. And of course a 30 year career in the Army and Marine's will age you good!
I know with him knowing his stuff, gung ho, and over 20-plus ribbons on his chest, to include the Medal of Honor, and he's an E7 is a little hard to swallow. Most retire at that rank, but look how long he'd been in and his accomplishments!
My reply comes 8 1/2 years after the original post and almost a year after the last response; however, I want to add my two cents. Also, I don't remember the details related in the dialogue of the military history of Gunny Highway and the Sergeant Major.
The minimum and maximum age limit for military personnel is established by federal law at 17 and 18 respectively. All military members are required to have an opportunity (I think under the same law) to serve until retirement provided that perform honorable service and that is set at a minimum of twenty years service. So, the maximum age of first enlistment or commission is established by federal law at 42 years. Within those limits the service branches have broad powers to set policy. The service branch policies change over time according to the needs of the service and they can be waived by the service branch secretary.
I knew a soldier who was drafted at 19-years old during the Vietnam war. I think he served through one tour (four years) and then separated. He worked in civilian life for nearly eight years at which point he decided he was dissatisfied with civilian job opportunities and re-enlisted at the age of 31. When we worked together he was a sergeant first class (E-7, the equivalent of a gunny) and about fifty years old. He was selected for master sergeant (E-8) just before he was reassigned.
If there was a gap in service between Gunny Highway's Army service and his Marine Corps time, he could easily be in his late forties to early fifties before retirement as an E-7. Without a break-in-service it would probably require a waiver by the Secretary of the Navy or the Commandant of the Marine Corps (if that authority is delegated by the SecNav),but is still reasoalbe to fit the timeline.
The Marine's making rank seems to be slower than the Army. I know some of the biggest meatheads and most uncouth men I ever met and functional illiterates that easily make First Sergeant or Sergeant Major because they're alpha males and the way they carry themselves. Usually they're in the infantry. And I knew of a career Army man that worked in intelligence and with a Bachelor's Degree that retired as an E6.
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