Do you still greet your former leaders the same way, even after you get out of the military?

I got out of the Army twice. On the first I went back to my unit to visit a friend. It was odd being a civilian in the same area where I was a soldier. Everyone was very respectful. Then I joined the guard and then got out of the guard. I left on some pretty rough terms. I did not agree with my leadership and wanted no part of such an organization. So when I left I pretty much told everyone to piss off. Fast forward a few years later I joined the Guard again to be an officer. I went to a different battalion then I was in. I recall seeing my old PSG. He came up to me and said, "hey Rosa" and then when I stood up and he saw the gold bar he apologized for not addressing me with Sir. He was a bit shocked to find that I now out ranked him. I can say that it was a victorious moment for me.

Don't burn bridges til you're sure you don't need them.

When you're invited to a special dinner and there is no assigned seating, where do you sit? Do you sit in the place of honor, or do you take a lesser seat? If the host invites you up to the head table, that's better than taking your place up there and then finding out you need to move to a seat of less importance.

The above is kind of out there on a tangent, but bear with me. The issue is one of humility. Better to be humble and give the person the respect you would give them were you both on AD, and let the senior person decide whether or not you can address them on more familiar terms. You probably won't make a good impression if you treat them like your peer and they don't see it that way. Let them say, "Hey, just call me Joe." That's their way of respecting you. They won't be able to give you that respect if you don't show it first.