Posted on Oct 5, 2015
Who do you call sir [or ma'am] when you are out of uniform?
28.4K
479
141
12
12
0
In uniform most service members know who to salute and who to call sir or ma'am. Out of uniform some service members salute higher ranking officers while others show their respect for those they personally know and some do their best to avoid eye contact with higher ranking people.
Some of us have been trained to address people older than us as sir or ma'am but this seems to be becoming rarer.
Who do you address as sir or ma'am when you are off duty or a veteran?
Some of us have been trained to address people older than us as sir or ma'am but this seems to be becoming rarer.
Who do you address as sir or ma'am when you are off duty or a veteran?
Respect
Honor
Edited 10 y ago
Posted 10 y ago
Responses: 81
5
5
0
I'm a creature of habit. I say Ma'am and Sir to most everyone in conversation because it's what I was taught as a kid. Going into the military just kept the practice going and I'm much to old to change much at this stage. Although there are people who earn other descriptors, mostly colorful.
(5)
(0)
5
5
0
5
5
0
Everyone.
Unless they are jerks, then I remain respectful but dispense with Sir/Ma'am. If they are REALLY jerky, then I deal accordingly. Lol
:)
Unless they are jerks, then I remain respectful but dispense with Sir/Ma'am. If they are REALLY jerky, then I deal accordingly. Lol
:)
(5)
(0)
Sgt Tom Cunnally
In case you are wondering CMSgt McGirr you can just call me Tom....the Sgt thing was a long time ago...USMC Sergeants were usually just called by our first name, however Staff, Gunny and Master Sergeants were always called Sergeant or Gunny..
(0)
(0)
CMSgt (Join to see)
Sgt Tom Cunnally -
Oh, I have been around Joint enough to know... One of my first supervisors was a crusty ol' Gunny. :)
Oh, I have been around Joint enough to know... One of my first supervisors was a crusty ol' Gunny. :)
(0)
(0)
SN Greg Wright
CMSgt (Join to see) - That's funny. My A-school instructor was a crusty old Gunny. Gruff voice and all!
(0)
(0)
5
5
0
4
4
0
Just about everyone. It takes no effort to be polite, but the payoff can be enormous!
(4)
(0)
4
4
0
This is a tricky one for me as a DA civilian. For me, it is more based on their position than their rank (other than GOs who have always outranked me). Pretty much Majors and below I will call by first name if I know them or rank if I don't. Commanders, etc., I still call sir or ma'am. I will still call most Colonels sir or ma'am even though we have equal military ranks. I have a hard time calling NCOs by their first name so that is almost always rank. In the office, most people call me by my first name unless it is an email where me and several others are addressed. An interesting story is that in 1996, I left the active force and started working as an entry level manager for Hertz Corporation at O'Hare. I called everyone above me sir or ma'am. The employees called everyone by their first name and that was the first time in almost 12 years that I had people working for me that called me something other than my rank or "sir". That took a while to get used to.
(4)
(0)
4
4
0
I'll call anyone Sir or Ma'am until told not to. But don't call me Sir. I work for a living.
(4)
(0)
LTC Stephen F.
I used to use that "I work for a living" line SSG Warren Swan until I was commissioned as an infantry officer than I realized how foolish it was :-)
(3)
(0)
4
4
0
If I know the person I'm talking to is / was and officer, then it's Sir/ Ma'am - force of habit and common military manners.
(4)
(0)
Read This Next
Continue with Facebook 
Continue with Google