Do cadets actually outrank non-commissioned officers?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA! Yes, cadets outrank every NCO - so do warrant officers candidates (WOC's). I was shocked as a PV2 to learn this in an Infantry Company - but any cadet trying to tell a senior NCO what's what is out of their mind and I've never seen it happen in my 40 yrs of service. I became a WOC as an E-7 so not much problem there.

After taking a deuce and a half full of ROTC cadets for a ride in the boonies. Dusty, hot and bumpy.
I dropped the tail gate as they came tumbling out one cadet got in my face and said he could not wait to come back next year when he had his bars. I pushed my cap into his forehead as I told him next year I will be out. And home "dating" his sister. Now get down and give me 20. He did.

My last two years on active duty, I was at Fort Campbell and dealt with cadets at least a dozen times. they ate at the dining facility I was assigned to and I wound up cooking and/or serving their meals. Most of them were respectful there were a couple of arrogant ones who were kind of clueless. I seem to remember an older E7 who was in charge of them in some way. Most of them were extremely careful not to piss him off.

I served with a lot of young officer during my 30 - most were great people just trying to learn the ropes. Most of them finally figured that all NCO's weren't Sgt Bilko's and we developed a rapport knowing our places in the pecking order of the military. Respect works both ways and if either became arrogant from their experiences - well there was eventually a change of station and one or the other moved on.

In Vietnam we had second luietenant platoon leader. Out in the jungle, we were supposed to move from our position to another location, but to our amusement, the Luietanant led us back to where we started. Apparently, we just made a big circle.

In July 2007 I attended Airborne school as a USMC Cpl. I had an Army CPT attending school with me and there was an issue with some cadets running their mouths to NCO’s about outranking them.

Needless to say the CPT pulled all of the cadets up to the front of the formation, chewed them out, and then proceeded to make them push. He then reiterated that they held no rank and were lower than any PVT and to never forget their place. Whether or not it was true, I thought it was funny and a great lesson to never get a big head and always be humble.

I had a Company Commander once who told me as a CW2 that I had to salute a cadet. I said to him that f@*&#r is trying to be a soldier, I, on the other hand, am one, as the other Platoon leaders and Platoon Sgt's bust out laughing.

We had midshipmen come stay in our barracks. Most of us got one in our room. One specific one mouthed off to our "sr LCPL" about field day. Said he out ranked us all and he wasn't going to clean. There was a behind closed door meeting between the two. That midshipman had that deck looking new by morning.

By regulation, cadets come before NCOs in order of succession of command because they are the closest thing to officers and being in command has a lot to do with different aspects of military law. Other than that, their span of authority comes directly from the commander (NCOs have authority based on their rank alone, there's no UCMJ for disrespecting/disobeying a cadet). I've seen cadets get chewed out by my Company CO for going outside of what he directed them to do. He told the cadet "you're not an officer, you're not an NCO, stop doing whatever you want, you're here to do what I tell you." Pure gold.

I showed them respect they were due but as a dismount squad leader I had one try to tell me that he knew more then I did let's just say it didn't end well for him