Posted on Oct 5, 2015
Who do you call sir [or ma'am] when you are out of uniform?
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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
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I do believe that is how we are raised. Here in the south, most of us were raised to say Sir and Ma'am. Common courtesy. Just my opinion and was the way In was raised.
Besides Officers, enlisted, and SNCO's all used to dress different when I was serving
Besides Officers, enlisted, and SNCO's all used to dress different when I was serving
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I call everyone Sir or Ma'am if I don't know them. It's a general respect I have for everyone. It's the right thing to do to be courteous to those whom I encounter on a daily basis. Everyone deserves at least that kind of respect. Call me old fashioned but I was raised to be polite to everyone.
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CPT (Join to see)
If we crossed paths, I didn't know you, we weren't in uniform, you're older than me, and if I had a reason to address you I would be polite and call you Sir. Don't you think that is the right thing to do?
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I use Sir/Ma'am as a sign of respect. I often use it with people older than I, people in authority like a police officer or mayor, and retired general officers. I've also used it when I thank a person for providing a service or product to emphasize my appreciation. (Thank you, Ma'am. Will almost always make a Customer Service Rep smile after she resolves your complaint.)
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Everyone, sometime even children. I also only refer to our elected officials by their position and last name. In my academic writing, I refer to everyone with a salutation and name, even if they are someone no one else respects.
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When using TriCare or shopping at the Commisary, I visit nearby Offutt AFB in Bellevue, NE. While there, even though I am in civilian clothes, I diligently try to acknowledge everyone by their rank. I must admit that trying to find a rank insignia on some of these new Camos is next to impossible for this old fella!!!
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LTC Stephen F.
Sir or ma'am has been used as a term of respect for anybody we respect for a long time PO3 (Join to see). My first paragraph was focused on the military application since I started this in Military Discussions. My next paragraph was addressed in the more general sense "Some of us have been trained to address people older than us as sir or ma'am but this seems to be becoming rarer."
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SGT (Join to see)
PO3 Hy Thong,
I guess when I came into the Army, that is what they told us military protocol for communication was. It may be that it has been that way for so long that nobody can remember when it began.
I guess when I came into the Army, that is what they told us military protocol for communication was. It may be that it has been that way for so long that nobody can remember when it began.
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I pretty much call everybody "sir" or "ma'am". Sometimes, when I say that to young kids in a restaurant, they get this strange look on their face...cracks me up! If someone hasn't done anything to me to make me lose respect for them, I treat everybody pretty much the same. My children are taught to be very polite as well. I don't make them call people sir or ma'am, but they most definitely are respectful.
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