Is it ever appropriate to address a fellow Service Member by last name alone?

When the blackhawks came in at zero dark thirty, I'd already have 3 black coffees in quart sized plastic bottles for the acft;one for the pilots, one for the crewdogs, and one for the paxs. I rarely knew who they were, I just wrote on the bottles a message of support/encouragement, and signed each one "God Bless, Uncle Mark." Mosul, became a popular stop for weary crews. Months pass,.......coffee starts getting dropped off from anonymous donors, and a coin is left by the 1st Armored Division's commander for "Uncle Mark." Without realizing it, I had been "refueling" Squadron/Brigade/Task force commanders from time to time. Uncle Mark became the Mosul FARP's nom de plume.

Other than that, If anyone called me Mark they had better been through some serious stuff with me. Officer culture permits them to call each other by their first name, and who am I to try and change officer-isms. Those traditions make the military unique. Hearing "Merino" made my skin crawl.....hearing "Uncle Mark" made me smile. It was just an anonymous nickname.

I only ever found it appropriate when it was a peer or supervisor addressing me by my last name only. Even then, only when you know the person whose addressing you, say a person you work with or frequently associate with. A stranger should at least use your rank as well.

Per The Bluejacket's Manual (Navy version), it states that you may call a fellow service member by their last name only if they are peers or below. My hard copy of the manual is at home or I would give you the exact page number. This is a common practice that I have seen since I have been in.

If you're wounded and/ or dying on the battlefield. Feel free to call out my last name alone and I have no issue with it regardless of who you are. Otherwise, we need just stay with professional protocol and regulation

With my last name, it got shortened to "Ace" day two of basic. It stuck for the next five years. Private Ace, Specialist Ace. When I re-enlist I think I'll go warrant so I can be Chief Ace or gun for Sergeant Major Ace.
Honestly, I never minded. It was more of an alarm system, If I ever heard my full last name, it probably wasn't a good thing. Kinda like the parents calling you by your full name.

As a 1LT, I would address junior enlisted, NCOs, CWOs, and higher ranking officers by their appropriate rank followed by last name (as I would expect them to address me). The only time I would address another service member by a first name or last name only basis is if a) we are the same rank b) there are no junior enlisted, NCOs within conversation distance c) we both agree first/last name only is appropriate... usually goes without saying (but just to make sure!)

Other: With Peers and on small teams.

Normally I advocate full use of rank and name for everyone equal or junior and Sir/Ma'am for those senior. But on small teams (squads and such) in combat, last names and nicknames prevail due to tightness.

Sorry. Couldn't resist. I will go stand in the corner and think about what I have done.

As E1 - 4 didnt matter, as a NCO Never in a work enviorment. And then only if SM was the same rank, we were friends and at our home or maby fishing ECT.

What's the real question here Burns?? LOL

I have never given it a second thought when someone that outranks me calls me by my last name only. I would not let one of my Soldiers get away with it though as it is a respect thing in my opinion. Also on that note I have never had an issue with one of my Soldiers trying it. It has also been on very rare occasion that I had a superior call me by last name only.

I think it's not a big deal to a extent. I mean in the enlisted force structure there is no term address member by last name only. Some people get bent out of shape over it some could care less it just depends on the person! But to answer the questions at hand, it's inappropriate to address a military member solely by there last name only.

Where respect has been earned and while two people are speaking on a professional, peer-like level, I see no problem with it so long as those participating in the discussion have no problem with it. Anyone who has any idea what military professionalism is knows exactly when it's appropriate for one person to refer to another only by their last name.

And in my opinion, leaders use last names only a bit too often.

My name is pronounced "Gunner." Being a former tanker in an Infantry Battalion you can probably imagine the nicknames that followed. My BN XO calls me "big guns" or "guns" on occasion. I don't mind it.

Me personally, I only address my peers and fellow Officers by last name. I typically address my NCOs and junior enlisted by their rank. To me it's a way to show respect for their rank and position they hold, even if they do ultimately work for me.

Peers maybe, but never subordinates, and never supervisors.

First. The Air Force IS the military. Now... In the Air Force, members of the same rank will address each other by first or last name... But most of us will NOT allow our Airmen or Jr. NCOs to address us without Rank and last name... Some of our leadership will address us by first name depending on the nature of working relationship.

In my shipboard days, all E3s and below were addressed by their last name only by everyone E4 and above. That was part of the published standard at the time (70s). There's been a one-up and one-down rule on informal addressing as well with the exception of E-7 whom you better call Chief, period, if you're E-6 and below. The officer community was a touch different in you still had one up/down but that stopped at O-5 which is the Senior Officer cutpoint vs. Major in the other services. Once out of REMFville, things loosened up a bit and nicknames were common. Down in Antarctica, everyone went by nicknames which were mostly their radio call signs. Some were rather creative. "Double Eagle" was the skipper that you could refer to but called Captain or Skipper to his face. I unfortunately had several nicknames primarily because it depended on the particular tracked vehicle traverse I was OIC on. So it was Marble One, Siple One, SAR One, whatever. I did get "Delta Alpha" One hung on me for a while due to a superior moment at the bar.

One thing I learned is perhaps due to size, necessity, or culture naming conventions are generally tighter with the Army and Air Force. Marines take it as a point of pride to state rank directly more of the time amongst peers.

It's probably more about the tone you use when you call the name.

I think that this is only appropriate to from peer to peer. If you call your subordinate by only their last name, you are saying that you are not taking the type to learn their rank. This almost makes the subordinate feel like what they have accomplished does not matter to you. You definitely should address Superiors by their rank and last name or just by their rank to show that you are giving proper respect to the rank at which they hold. It is ok to address a fellow LT or PO3 by only their last name because chances are, you went through boot camp or some type of training together.

Well that's an interesting question.

My interpretation/preference follows rank structure groupings. So NCOs can address NCOs by last name only, they can address Junior Enlisted by Last Name (since they are a lower tier) but they cannot adddress Senior NCOs by last name only because Senior NCOs are a higher tier.

Then there is the added familiarity/context issue which can further muddle the issue. Such as referring to a third party by last name in an ongoing conversation. As long as you remember to add to decorum when in the presence of those in a lower tier of ranks all should be good.

Lets put it this way, you never see it in the civilian world. Its mostly first names, never even title and last name when addressing a superior, several echelons up