Quote:
Originally Posted by Johan Larson
That's a very unlikely situation, since second lieutenants are by definition beginner officers.
I suppose he could have served as an enlisted man for twenty years and then jumped tracks into the officer corps.
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Unlikely in current practice perhaps but historically?
Not really that difficult to sell in some 18th or 19th century contexts think for example of a veteran Sargent granted a commission as possible starting point. Now this sort of thing wasn't common but it did happen and could lead to some seriously 'over age' officers.
The other thing to remember is that our veteran of twenty years might easily only be in his mid thirties (which was not uncommon in an era with loose record keeping and no up or out) and (in the British army before the 1870's especialy) if he lacked money or political connections might be an Ensign (the equivalent British infantry rank at the time) for a number of years.