Si, I think you're missing the point and misunderstanding how Fraz ( And myself ) feel about this...
Of course nobody would go to a Drop "Just to increase their Drop count".
We go to Drops to hang out with our friends whilst strapping tupperware to ourselves.
Which is precisely why dishing out rank based on how many events one has attended is disingeneous.
Initially, promotions were given based upon merit - If you did something for the benefit of the group, or did something particularly silly or funny... You got a promotion.
Promotions in and of themselves mean nothing. Rank in and of itself means nothing.
Our highest ranking member is still Harry, I believe?
But if Harry orders me to do something ( don't panic, Cheesemeister, I know you never would! I'm just using your rank as an example

) - Hell, I probably WOULD do it because I trust the guy and trust his judgement.
But it'd be nothing to do with any made-up rank we've given him.
Same goes for anyone with more stripes than me - they wear those stripes because the UKCM as a whole feel that they have done something to merit a reward... And most of us are too tight to simply buy that person a pint.
Rank is a way of saying "Dude, you rock."
Take the Aliens Legacy Gold Awards as another example - If I got a phonecall from Techo Viking saying "Hey man, I have a spare Gold Award here. Want it?
I would say "No thanks" faster than if someone had offered me a cup of herbal tea.
Because I've not earned it.
I think a far better way of acknowledging Drop counts would be to introduce some kinda funky "Service medal".
It would become another tradition, and we all know how much the Marine corp hate tradition
