Lt. Jerry Lilliedoll Gets His First Zero in Aerial Combat

The March 9, 1944 issue of The Sutton News carried this story of Sutton's Lt. Jerry Lilliedoll getting his first Zero in combat. I'd say they buried the lead by mentioning the 1st Lt promotion first. 

It is likely that Lt. Lilliedoll was flying a P-38 or a P-40 with the 13th AAF.

See a promotion comment below the clipping.

Promotions in wartime were driven by events, vacancies and other considerations. In more benign times, promotions are based on statutory rules.

The Air Force company grade promotion rules during the Vietnam era saw newly commissioned officers receiving the rank of Second Lieutenant. Eighteen months later the officer became a First Lieutenant and after another eighteen months came the automatic promotion to Captain.

There were ways to be denied one of these "automatic" promotions though our joke about it went along the lines of, "you'd have to flash in a school yard." Not exactly true - I did see promotions denied and had a part in denying a 1st Lt promotion for one of my people as part of a disciplinary action.

After Captain came a long wait for the competitive promotion board for major at about the 10-years of service point in the career. Increasingly competitive promotion boards are used for promotion to the ranks of lieutenant colonel and colonel. Promotion to the general ranks, the flag officer level, is another story altogether.