When an E-4 calls me "hey" or "hey man" knowing that I am an officer, should I bother to correct him?

Absolutely! It's all about learning.

It depends. From an enlisted standpoint, knowing and respecting the rank structure is paramount. Some officers were wise enough to know that Greetings of the day from individual contact with enlisted members really of no consequence, as long as that enlisted member realized that in official capacities (I.e meetings, groups of enlisted and officers alike, etc), proper customs and courtesies would not only be expected, but strictly adhered to. In other words, “SPC, you better get your mind right!” I’ve done a lot to earn what I have and I’ll not let you diminish it to a “hey or hey man”

Hell yes.

If your in uniform yes you correct him. If you are not in uniform and your sitting at a bar and an e4 comes up to you and says hey man what are you drinking I am buying then you let it slide.

As an officer you should immediately correct him along with a good ass chewing about respect. As a former Marine Staff Sargent I would be referred to as say good morning staff or good morning staff Sargent. You earned this respect and you should demand it. How else are we to maintain a well disciplined Military.

If you have to ask, you should just quit and work for a car dealership or somthing meaningless.

Absolutely correct them. The need to establish and maintain a clear chain-of-command is imperative and cannot be overstated. Remember, its not just you, but the rank structure that must be maintained. There may come a time when the need to follow orders is imperative and subordinate cannot establish a mindset where they think an order is a suggestion open for debate or negotiation. Besides, ever if you do have confidence that this NCO understands all that, other subordinates may be watching and think its no big deal to be more casual than they have a right to be. In a private casual environment, the relationship might be more casual, but it has to come from you. Never allow them to dictate the parameters. That's just being intentionally disrespectful. I could write a paper, but I'll stop it here.

Respect for the chain of command and the ranks above us is essential to good order and efficiency of action, it should be made instinctual in the ranks. The E4 mafia should understand this by achieving the rank of E4. If you feel an officer is not living up to his responsibilities should always be addressed as Captain not sir but respectfully so as to keep clear where the fault lies. Just as in the civilian world there are people I will never address by their first names when “Doctor” or “Nurse” so and so is very effective for expressing displeasure.

When I was in the Army Officers did not (as a rule) interact with E-4 or lower. The officer would contact an NCO (hopefully one from the same unit as the enlisted) and explain the issue to that NCO. The NCO would handle it from there. IF the NCO thought the E-4 had a valid reason for addressing an Officer that way the NCO would go back to the Officer and explain the reason for the apparent disrespect. If the reason was not valid the NCO would handle the situation from there. It might be extra duty all the way up to an Article 15.

He is on duty 24/7, as such, it is evident that his lack of respect needs to be addressed, It appears that many things have changed since I retired.