Posted on Aug 23, 2014
SFC Operations Nco
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I feel as if I’m speaking to a Master Sergeant, Sergeant First Class or Staff Sergeant, they need to be addressed as their full rank and not “Sergeant.”
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PFC Mike Mcdermott
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Addressing a sergeant first class by their rank is somewhat unwieldy. In that case only I use the term Sgt. All other times, I used the full rank.
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SFC Infantryman
SFC (Join to see)
>1 y
By "unwieldy," you mean it would take a little extra effort. Well, thank you in advance, for your extra effort...
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Cpl Christopher Bishop
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Try calling a Marine Sergeant Major (E9) "Sarge" and see WTF happens to you....ROFLMAO =)

Even wearing "the butter-bar" won't save you from the impending avalanche of crap you're about to get.....and rightfully so. =)
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SGT Jeremiah B.
SGT Jeremiah B.
>1 y
lol Call anyone in the Army "sarge" and you're going to be hating life in about .3 seconds. "What did you call me?! Am I a scum sucking fish on the bottom of the ocean?! Beat your face until I get tired, Private."
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SGT Bryon Sergent
SGT Bryon Sergent
>1 y
WEll unless if it is your name! Just sayin!
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SSG Small Group Leader
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SFC Matthew Torres, reference AR 600-20 Ch 1 and it will answer your question.
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1SG First Sergeant
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Edited 11 y ago
I personally don't care how they address my rank, as long as they execute my guidance and absorb my mentorship. I do make sure they are aware of what the reg says but in today's Army, I feel we have bigger fish to fry than worrying about if their addressing of my rank in full or truncated is disrespectful. It's neither. It's regulatory.
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CW4 Larry Curtis
CW4 Larry Curtis
>1 y
Now here's a man who gets right down to the brass tacks. There is nothing more expedient than a simple no-nonsense approach because we have much bigger rats to kill. Thank you for your service and leadership, SFC Smith.
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SGT Automated Logistics Specialist
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SFC Torres,
Me personally I would say it is not disrespectful at all to call SSG-MSG by their Regulation name of "Sergeant". That is what they are supposed to be called. However, out of respect I always refer to MSG's and "Master-Sergeant "Joe", in any conversation. To me E-8 is a big deal and they deserve it. IMO the diamond gets it, so why would the MSG not get it. That of course is not the reg and I do realize that. But its just an additional respect in my eyes that they have earned as the second highest Enlisted Grade in the Army
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CPT Company Commander
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SFC (Join to see) I agree with you. As I was enlisted in the Marine Corps prior to commissioning in the Army, I bring those courtesies with me from the Corps. If you have ever seen another branch refer to a SSG in the Marines as "Sergeant" you will know what I mean. I feel it is a respect issue, and the Soldier who has attained that rank, deserves to be addressed by that rank. I will always address my Soldiers by their rank, not just a general rank, and this goes for junior enlisted as well. I will address a Specialist as "Specialist Smith" versus just their last name as I hear all the time and correct.

I do understand that the Army's policy on addressing Sergeants, Staff Sergeants, and Master Sergeants as Sergeants, but it doesn't mean that I don't think each rank deserves the respect of their rank.
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SSG Stacy Carter
SSG Stacy Carter
>1 y
Lieutenant Larson, As an ARMY Officer it is your responsibility to adhere to and enforce ARMY Regulations. You are not in the Marine Corps anymore you are not supposed to follow Marine/Navy Regulations anymore. While I agree that you should address other branches by their correct titles the ARMY Regs specifically states how you are REQUIRED to address SGT, SSG, SFC and MSG.. they are all referred to as Sergeant. The only noncomissioned officers referred to by anything different are the First Sergeants and Sergeants Major (which is used for both Command Sergeants Major and Sergeants Major).
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MSG(P) Maintenance Supervisor
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Edited 11 y ago
I'm also an Instructor in an Interservice Training Review Organization (ITRO) and we teach all branches. My particular division teaches only Soldiers and Marines. When I first got to this unit and began teaching, the Marines (which usually accounts for 30-50% of any class) would call me "SERGEANT FIRST CLASS". I found that kind of weird since I'm used to Soldiers calling me "SERGEANT". I later found out that is part of their customs and courtesies. So no, I don't think we should be addressed by our full ranks. As stated many times before in this thread, we have our customs and courtesies and should abide by them. We cannot pick and choose what to follow. Is it "disrespectful" to address us by our full rank? Absolutely not. As NCOs, we enforce. Let's ENFORCE and let our officers make policy.

I would like to add, though, that when I was coming up through the ranks, we often referred to MSG as "Master Blaster". I honestly don't know where that came from but I've always thought it was pretty cool. When I do finally pin on my third rocker, I wouldn't smoke anyone for calling me Master Blaster. But again...that's me.
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MSG(P) Maintenance Supervisor
MSG(P) (Join to see)
11 y
Oh Ok. Thanks for the knowledge Top. With that being said, I'd much rather have Master Sergeant used. Not that being a Jump Master is "bad", it's actually an honor but I've never dropped anything from a plane that I had to retrieve. So I definitely don't "fall" in that category...lol.
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Cpl Matthew Wall
Cpl Matthew Wall
11 y
That is the one thing that irritated me most when I was training soldiers. I would say Sergeant and half the class would look at me because they were all used to being call SGT whether they were a SGT or not. I just went back to my Marine customs and called out full rank and it worked a lot better.
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MSG Chief Intilligence Sergeant
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Not disrespectful, the Marines do this, but this is specific to them. The Army calls everyone E-5 to E-8 Sergeant. Now if someone addresses me as Master Sergeant I dont correct them either, most people dont however. Enlisted ranks for the purpose of addressing them break down to; Private (E-1 through E-3), Specialist, Corporal (very Rare now), Sergeant (E-5 through E-8), Sergeant Major (Staff and Command Sergeant Major).
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CW4 Larry Curtis
CW4 Larry Curtis
>1 y
Don't forget about the First Sergeant. ;) That is a person who is definitely earning their stripes every hour of every day. A good First Sergeant is usually the Commander's right-hand man and runs the company behind the scenes doing a multitude of things in the unseen realm to keep the unit running smoothly. I have never known a good First Sergeant who was ever really off the clock, if you know what I mean. I have had First Sergeants who made it one of their primary objectives to keep the Commander straight and out of trouble from up the Chain of Command...and most of them were quite masterful at doing so, and there have been some Commanders who could quite honestly say that they owe their career to their First Sergeant. This commentary is not intended to slight the Master Sergeants in the least, but I think you'd probably agree with me. The same thing holds true for the Command Sergeants Major (that always seemed like an odd way to express them in the plural), just at a higher echelon of operation.
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LTC Jason Mackay
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Side note, any rank can be made to sound disrespectful as well as “Sir”.

I believe the regulation says “Sergeant” is the proper address.
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SP5 Charles Goldsmith
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50 plus years ago ,first sgt,Sgt major, we don't say,yes Sgt first class,or yes master Sgt, or yes staff sgt. Now in Nam it was Sgt major, first sgt ,we called top . Rhe rest was sarge.
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SPC Ron Salsbury
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When a Soldier, Sailor, Marine or Airman achieves their rank, they have earned that respect to be called by their rank regardless of regulations, it is professionalism at it's finest. Otherwise why not take the next step of disrespect and call one another Troop!
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SGT Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic
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The Army directs that all NCOs be addressed as "Sergeant" because all NCOs are sergeants, other words added to their rank are simply descriptors to describe their grade. Staff Sergeant originates from the British Army, a sergeant serving as a clerk etc on the staff had a crown placed above his stripes and given the rank of Staff Sergeant. Sergeant First Class and Master Sergeant come from experience and are used to distinguish them from lower sergeants. There are two exceptions to be made. The first comes with the First Sergeant is a position rather than a rank. A 1SG can be described as a MSG that has been given authority over a company sized element. This is the first time you will see this. Staff Sergeants are not just squad leaders. They are also recruiters, drill sergeants, section sergeants, NCOICs etc. The only place you will find a 1SG is in a 1SG slot. During the Civil War, a Sergeant Major was a Sergeant that had been given responsibility over a regiment. So again we find ourselves addressing the position. After WWII, Sergeants Major were found on staffs and we're separated into the ranks of SGM and CSM. Sergeants Major are still addressed as Sergeant Major as a call back to their roots.

(I've done a lot of historical research into ranks, structure and their origin, none of this is based on experience.)
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Shonda Young
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So do you say Aye Master Sergeant Smith
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1SG Automotive Technician
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I always address a MSG as "Master Sergeant." I however don't always differentiate between SFC and SSG, usually I refer to either as Sergeant. I feel like if a 1SG is addressed as "First Sergeant", a MSG deserves the same.
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SGT Dave Oman
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Adressing them as sergeant is a matter of expediency for them. It is narcissistic and time consuming to hear the full title 50-100 times a day
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SFC Small Group Leader
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I disagree. We are not the marine corps. Army regulation outlines how we are to address NCOs. Even when working joint with marines, I explained what the army said about addressing by full rank. I still made it their option, but it's what is appropriate.
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SrA Kelly Richard
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Although I absolutely agree and make every effort to use the full rank when I know it. If I'm offering a greeting, and had minimal to calculate the rank, I know how much Army and Marine enlisted hate being called sir, so I must admit, if not Air Force, I've been guilty of saying, "Morning, Sergeant!" I'd rather do this, which is accepted as opposed to guessing the rank too quickly and making the mistake of calling them by a lower rank!
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SSG John Conquest
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No Sergeant it's not disrespectful, it's been this way for a long long time. So why do you think it should be changed now? You'll get called by your full rank when you are about to get your ass chewed, LOL!!
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SGT John Beardsley
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Edited >1 y ago
Sergeant by itself IS BY ITSELF respectful. Addressing an NCO by their full rank when above the grade of E5 can be either a signal of increased respect, or a signal that whomever is addressing that NCO feels the NCO has an inflated sense of self worth.

When in doubt, refer to the regulation in question.
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LT Foreign Disclosure
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Each service has its particular culture on how said respective service members address one another. I learned the hard way addressing a Marine by Sergeant and not by their actual earned rank was a no-no. When corrected, I admitted my ignorance and ensured never to do it again. However, Air Force and Army may and are typically addressed as Sergeant So-and-So. The Navy well, that's Petty Officer So-And-So, but only if you're not aware of their rate (MOS/AFSC). On that note, I don't in any way believe addressing an enlisted Soldier by Sergeant So-And-So is in any way disrespectful.
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