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

1) If you are worried about being called by your rank or Sir/ Ma’am, you’ve already lost…
2) Two, this country has gone to hell in a hand-basket with respect - PERIOD!
3) Rank, or no rank, an individual should simply offer a cordial Sir/Ma’am, as a simple sign of respect to “anyone” in passing daily. Just because you have dawned a uniform, or taken it off, shouldn’t mean you lose respect by offering, before it is obtained.
4) Wearing a uniform simply reaffirms those rules applied in and taught in school for line 3)!
5) If you have questions to any of the aforementioned line items, it’s probably time you seek work elsewhere!

V/R,
Jim

Times have changed! I was a young Corporal back in 1982 walking between two barracks. A Lt was talking a squad through patrol maneuvers/training by one of them and I was 20 yards away. I tried being inconspicuous to avoid interrupting and the Lt challenged me on not saluting him from 20 yards.

We would never have thought to be disrespectful like what you describe because correction was typically swift.

Start lighting them up. Education is not necessary since they went to boot camp. Doesn’t matter what they think of you if they’ve lost their discipline.

For myself, I know who to address as Sir/Ma'am. Outside of Base, I may address someone from my workspace as their name just to say Hi. Normally never ran into officers but i don't see a reason as to address someone as Sir or Caption so-so as long as both of us are in civies.

Again this is how i feel. I will never go to Major John Doe from a different Unit in civies and say "what's up dude?" Because it could be reflected back onto my military career, but i will address them as Mr.Doe or Sir as i know them from Public Affairs but they don't know me, 1 of 5000 Airmen.

So in short, to each of their Own.

That was command. The old brain didn't keep up.

What the hell has happened in the military that this is even happening? Even as junior enlisted I knew better. Alot in 52years I guess. This really sounds more like comand failure than anything. The civilian culture is infiltrating the military more than is healthy. I found the same thing in construction and trucking. A bunch of undisciplined idiots running around. Maybe I'm just weird but the Corps just never left me..

This really depends on the soldier, where you are, who is around, and if it bothers you, personally, or not.

If it bothers you personally, then yes most certainly, you are an officer and your grade suggest a certain amount of respect.

If you are in "mixed" company, both officer and enlisted, let an NCO handle it. If you do it, it may come off as petty.

But you should also take into consideration the soldier himself. I am a leadership challenge, and those NCO's who knew me, and understood me, knew:

Give Ison a job, and get the fuck out of his way. If i needed help I would ask for it, if I didn't I would just do what was asked to the best of my ability, and normally I could do it with ZERO supervision. Those who did not know me would often look at my demeanor, including my lack of using things like grade and sir, when dealing with both NCO's and Officers as disrespectful. To people who think that rank makes you "superior" then this is how they see the world. But, for some of us, we know we are as smart as or smarter than those who are in charge, and when we argue with you, we are not being disrespectful, we are trying to show you how fucking dumb you are being, and a good leader will ALWAYS take a second look to see if there is something they missed.

As far as the little things like sir and stuff, in a good relationship rank is relevant only for responsibility, I have worked hand in hand with aircrews, and I have always been able to maintain my professionalism in "public" but in private all of the aircrews, including my XO and CO, knew that if I had an issue it was never personal, it was always professional, it was always about the work. And if I did not use sir, or ones grade, when addressing the issue it was not form lack of respect but from a need to make sure the aircrews were safe.

I have told off a Lt Commander (O-4) for trying to bully me on the flight deck.

I have held the hands of nugget pilots who were so afraid of the flight deck they had urinated on themselves.

I have yelled at petty officers who out ranked the shit out of me, including chiefs, for violating safety issues on the flight deck.

My favorite one, was a 2nd class petty officer (E-5), me an E-3, who tried to seal a BNC connector with chewing gum. That guy ended up losing a stripe.

Can’t wait to see all the down votes I get from the cryhards

Look at all the asshole blow hard officers answering this question and ask yourself do you really want to grow up to be a respected douche bag???? How about you turn they “hey” into a positive rather than asking permission to be a typical asshole officer and do the expected berating..

The fact you are struggling with this answer should be an assurance you are officer material and would fall on your face if you worked for a living. All you “sirs” lose all respect once you start expecting respect instead of trying to earn it.

back in the good old days, it would go like this," specialist, any name, how are you doing today ? with my chrome bar showing". while i was in the field, while working with my men, we always addressed "rank-last name". as an engineer type, i would be in with my men (I WOULD GET IN TROUBLE FOR THIS).
you have to earn respect, it doesn't come in a cracker jack box.