Here is something to consider since the bureacracy was brought up.
How often does paperwork get lost or just slow in working its way through channels?
Now apply this to some of the more recently arrived troops in theater. Once the nukes started flying, communication got messed up, and troops were shuffled from one unit to another as stragglers or to fill in the gaps and now, there is no telling where their parent unit is. Or, Pvt Schmukatelli is with the 5th in Poland when he was with the 14th who is now in Yugoslavia, or even Iran, and they have his promotion warrant, but the folks in the 5th know nothing about it. So, he is still a Pvt as far as they are concerned and he knows.
After all, alot of the promotion records would be dust, or so far removed and it really would not be a major priority with the remaining and limited communications lines and abilities. Heck, I had it happen to me twice in peacetime when the entire system was up and running, so my view is, it would be pretty common in 2000 or 2013 <for you guys playing the newer version>
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"God bless America, the land of the free, but only so long as it remains the home of the brave."
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