[17th Miss Regt]

Yep. You start out as private (pay grade E-1) in the Marines. Methinks that he reached the rank in 1975 because of several Article 15s (non-judicial punishments). Maybe he made lance corporal and then got busted a couple of ranks. He sounds like a serial f***-up.

[scrabblehack]

Do they not have a “no stripe” = “buck” private vs. a “stripe” private any longer?