Does rank still have privileges?

You think that life gets easier as you move up in rank - but actually, it only gets harder. This was a notion that I always impressed on my Cadets - you move up in rank to assume more responsibility - a greater burden, in the leadership and stewardship of our Army! I do think that two things at play though (1) Many of the "privileges" that were imagined actually never existed; and (2) Yes - at the same time, some "old Army" privileges that did exist have gone by the wayside in light of deployments and "belt-tightening" budget cuts in administrative / non-essential areas during multiple cycles of expansion, deployment and draw-down in the last 30-40 years, across all components. Certainly senior officers have always been accorded certain privileges - but most of them had to do with saving time... and keeping senior people focused on operational and strategic issues consistent with their pay grades. So for example, when I was a MAJ working in the USAEUR engineer staff - the Director (a BG) or top engineer for USAREUR had (a) a secretary, (b) a government vehicle and a driver. As a flag officer, he also had an 1LT as an Aide-de-camp. Years later when I served in essentially the same position for USARPAC - the job was a COL billet (one grade down), so - no aide; there was no designated vehicle, no driver, (no E-4 / below Soldiers of any kind in my Directorate) and my predecessor had the last DCSENG civilian secretary - the position was cut and discontinued when she departed. Now - the absence of these former "privileges" didn't effect my conduct of my duties in any great measure. I drove myself around for duty as needed, and the staff assumed "gate-keeping duties" and perhaps the only effect was I didn't have personal assistance with some correspondence and with stuff like travel arrangements. I simply made my official trips into missions and assigned the mission to one of my CPTs to plan :) But certainly things did change. When I entered the Army in the 1980s, you would never have seen a Colonel driving themselves on duty!

Go check out how your grunts are living. Everything is relative. Personally, I think that you are whining.

Duh ha! I will tell you a little training story Colonel. The Unit went to the Aussie Jungle School near Townsville back in the early 80s. We all stayed in the OR barracks, Our Squadron Commander, Troop Commanders and Sergeants Major, We always stayed together on missions and training operations. We obeyed military courtesy but were an elite unit used first names when it was appropiate. The Aussie Commandant had a fit which he made a complaint that went all the way up his chain of command that officers and what they consider Warrants (SGM) were sleeping and messing with other ranks; In the OR Mess and barracks that were open bay! We drank up all their milk and shot up their jungle which A Squadron, 1st SFOD-D was banned from the country. Believe it or nor, it was an international incident. The Aussies only put milk in tea and have limited supplies, no one told us! Our CAR15s would not function with 22 LR conversion kits. The HALO Jump over the ocean was a blast, you could see the hammerhead sharks waiting for one of us to land in the water. Lobster tail bar snacks and beer for Hobby & me was dinner. The Townsville Bars reminded me of a sceen from Star Wars which I will not eloborate. The countries of the UK have a military class system which RHIP is strictly enforced. Don't feel bad, you earned it! Officers are not suppose to assoiate with lowly sergeants or privates. I did not like their system and they the same with ours. Enough said..

Unfortunately, Reserve Officers have been/are being treated like second class citizens! The "One Army Concept" has never been enforced, and as such, doesn't work. Even though I have prior active duty service, I have experienced a lack of respect by active duty EM's. For the sake of professionalism in the active ranks, there has to be more training and enforcement of respect for higher ranks by the lower rank soldiers. Just my personal opinion...

I retired after 23 years in the Army retired major with prior service experience and I am still waiting for my, "privileges." On my last deployment, I shared a walk in closet size room with three other officers and still had to clean the barracks and latrine. You want privilege, join the Air Force.

I've notice more respect and fewer expectations of menial tasks. I recently came back from JRTC and share the barracks from PVT to LTC. I wasn't expected to be cleaning the showers and other common areas. I did pitch in every so often but, my name was never places on the cleaning roster. So we may have lost the separate clubs and dining facilities but, haven't been tasked with shoveling s*** in Louisiana.

Certainly! I thought about this on and off while serving and I always thought that one of the biggest was: more control over my own time. as an officer, I had more freedom and flexibility in where I was and what I was doing much of the time. I was expected to be in the right place at the right time, of course, and doing the things necessary to make my unit effective or complete the mission at hand... but a Soldier is usually told where and when to come and go and under much more direct supervision. Far fewer personal freedoms, and especially, time.

As a reservist, you only see the benefits of your rank a few days a month. And the military isn't your lifestyle, so the benefits of your rank are not recognized. As an experienced NCO, my concern is that you feel as though you don't have enough "privilege." What are you expecting? What do you feel your career and/or lifestyle in uniform is lacking?
I am going to have a hard time training a millennial Soldier to work hard for appropriate rewards when a field grade officer doesn't believe he is receiving the "privilege" associated with his rank after what I can only assume is a 20 plus year career.

RHIP does exist but to what degree depends on how much you want to take advantage of. As my kids grew I would show up at the work center(s) on Christmas Eve or Thanksgiving day and send a troop home who I knew had young ones at home and would show the others that the old sergeant still knew how to do the job. Once while at Keesler a hurricane was coming in and I saw a family who had been staying at a hotel in town while the member was in an advanced school preparing to hunker down in the hallway of billeting for the duration. I instead gave them my room and bunked with another senior noncom down the hall and others followed and did the same. I always made a point of taking care of all the troops first and just not my own.

It's all a matter of perception.