Does rank still have privileges?

Sir,

Compare the cases of LTC Gerald Green and CSM Crumple for example of rank priveleges.

In with you... I joined in 1990 (over a quarter century ago now).. I started as an E-1 and now an O-5... and I can tell you, I see and experience the exact same thing on Active Duty... I too am okay sleeping in a tent (or a ditch) if that's what the mission requires... but I remember days where the were perks for the NCOs that the junior enlisted didn't get, or SNCOs or CGOs or FGOs and each time I work into the next level of duty, I don't see them anymore. I'm currently TDY away from the family for a couple of months and I have two staff sergeants and one master sergeant working for me... our rooms are identical, they live right down the hall from me...

Some ranks may have some privileges, but those ranks have more headaches.

Like you I began as an E-1 and can say that various privileges that once constituted the RHIP label have been reduced noticeably over the years and I'm talking about active duty. God knows what is trending today as I became tired of watching it become RHIEO and have made my own privileges since retirement.

Your experiences similarly reflect mine. I haven't had nearly as much time in, but as a reservist, I've perceived that most of us are not treated with extra privilages: we bunk in the same tent, we eat in the same chow hall, we train in the same weather. As an LT, I want to be next to my soldiers so I know what they're suffering through; it's better than hearing it after the fact.
In regards to privilages that are always just out of reach: I feel the same way, but it seems like it's that way for everyone, so it makes me wonder if it's just the way it's always been. That doesn't stop me from reminding myself, if you're doing it for the "rewards," you're not doing it for the right reasons.

Much of it is ceremonial. The pay is the big difference.

SgtMaj Davis hit the nail on the head I think.

RHIP - Privileges and Responsibility. Yes it still exists. You can see it every day when a command has a Private taken away in Hand irons and a Senor Leader accused of the same crime allowed to quietly retire.
as 1SG Blount said- In a field environment Seniors eat last, get the least sleep and should be up first.

It has the privilege of command. I spent a lot of time TDY to different installations and the difference between field grade and senior leader quarters is vast. But then if you are a GO you sometimes get a cook.

Of course but is that really important? As leaders we should strive to set the example. That means eating last. Ensuring the troops have been adequately billeted before worrying whether or not you have to share your space. Digging your own fighting position. Pitching in with the manual labor with the troops. I was more embarrassed by taking advantage of the privilege than by anything else. We live in democracy and the "royalty" we have in the military has always struck me as counter-intuitive. Of course I'm talking about privileges, not the absolute duty all troops have to obey all legal orders.