Do you think a General or Admiral is still considered a servicemember in the eyes of their subordinates?

First of all, I'm not quite sure how your classification of "politician" diminishes their status as servicemembers. Also, ALL officer promotions to O-4 and higher require senate confirmation, so I guess there are a whole lot of "politicians" who are no longer servicemembers.

This just seems to be a short sighted question that is most likely coming from a jaded perspective. Clearly they are service members. They weren't commissioned as Flag Officers. They earned that rank while climbing the ladder. I agree that the higher you go up the chain the more administrative the position becomes and more political the stakes but that doesn't reduce their status as a service member.

Bullshit. I would suggest that you do not share any more of your wisdom with your chain. That would be a good way to be a 40 year old E-5.

I spent 75 days temporary duty as a Protocol NCO in a command headquarters. We were treated well and considered team members. We had a lot of respect for the two generals in the command. This command also encouraged all members worldwide to submit ideas to make the mission better. If your idea was approved, your squadron commander received a stargram to present to you. I had four. That was 34 years ago and I still have the team photos and plaque I was given on the wall.

I agree with you 100%.

wow. I Never Thought about the subject until Now.

EVERY officer above O-3 requires congress's confirmation for promotion. If that's your dividing point, then I'm afraid you have a rather jaundiced view of field-grade officers.

Not sure of O-2 and O-3 required approval. All I know is that the message came out and I got promotized.

For those who are not familiar with what almost all General and Flag Officers do, this might seem a valid question. For those of us who have seen the way things work at Division and above, this is not a valid question. The GO's with whom I've worked are the hardest-working people I know. They routinely work 12 or more hours a day, they must read and analyze enormous amounts of information, and they must normally multi-task several very important assignments at once. And as LTC Coe notes below, they must also regularly provide important testimony to Congress and senior national leaders. How do you become a GO? You perform extremely well for 20-25 years in very hard jobs. Most of the Army's GO's are Airborne, Ranger and/or Special Forces, and they have successfully commanded at Company, Bn, Bde and Division levels. Poliiticians? Not even close.

Please.

In the Field, who is in Command: The man with the Stars on his Shoulder. So YES he/she is a Service Member, If you think he/she is not: Go tell him/her what to do and watch the effect on you career!