Posted on Nov 10, 2015
Should a lower ranking Warrant Officer salute a higher ranking Warrant Officer?
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From a Command Chief Warrant Officer: While standing with the Division CG, DCG, DCSM, and some of the brigade commanders and CSMs, a Chief Warrant Officer Two walked by and cheerfully greeted me by saying, “What’s up,<First name>?” I received a few perplexing looks from the senior officers and NCOs present. After the event, a CSM asked me if that was appropriate.
Posted in these groups: 
Warrant Officers
Customs and Courtesies
Warrant Officers Customs and Courtesies
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 34
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Let's just get rid of saluting altogether. Instead we can do some manner of connecting hands. High 5's for officers, 5 "down low" for NCOs and WO's can do a "fist bump" .
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CAPT John Kittler
I just wanted to note that this is not a problem in the Air Force, they do not have warrant officers !
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Al Reynolds
I don't remember saluting to be an issue in the Navy.... Somehow we just moved on from there and went out and painted something.
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SMSgt Bob Wilson
Get rid of saluting except for O-6s and above OR clean up the uniform so the "Zero" can be spotted. An Army NCO with ribbons, pins, patches plastered all over their uniform; Navy Officers wearing three different uniforms and all are the same rank; Air Force and Space Cadets looking like Delta pilots. The Marines have it close to being right, huge enlisted stripes which stand out.
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I'm throwing the BS flag on this story. No self respecting W2 of ANY component would ignore two General Officers......this story is not credible.
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CW4 (Join to see)
This scenario has not been confirmed as an actual true story but the situation was used as a training vignette for the Senior Staff Course. I hear commissioned officers use "tradition" as an excuse to call subordinates by their first names. However, everyone wants to throw a flag on Warrant Officers when we try to maintain our own traditions. Personally I don't care either way. I find it ridiculous that I'm in hostile territory saluting people. There are so many other issues in the military that need to be fixed that it really irritates me when someone wants to have an issue with things like this.
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CW3 (Join to see)
I just wish I'd met CW5 Sullivan personally, so I could call him out on his bullshit. I don't believe there was anyone who told him this story, I think he made it up.
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CAPT John Kittler
CW4 (Join to see) - I agree with CW3 J.D. What I see in this is some schoolhouse leadership dork postulating a hypothetical piece of BS to throw a red herring into the group for discussion. The CSM asking if that was appropriate is just unrealistic. I expect the CSM will know. The question is whether a salute was appropriate. Yes it was and it was NOT appropriate for the CW2 to ignore the more senior folks. The use if the first name in this situation was unmliitary and disrespectful in context not just to the more senior CW, but to the group as a whole. Now in combat, it is a whole different story. I will personally take aside anyone who salutes me in the open and ask them whose side they are on and whether they want me to get shot !
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This is pretty situationally dependent. As a Warrant, I would never salute a CCWO standing with GO's... I'd salute the General. But having spent 8 1/2 years WO1 - CW3, there is an etiquette between Warrants that does not exist in other hierarchy. Yes, it's different. Different doesn't mean bad.
Each WO branch has different customs. Tech Warrants tend to have more formality between them. Aviation (and SF) Warrants by virtue of their profession embrace more familiarity.
Unless I was on Fort Rucker enrolled in a course where my 1059 could be held hostage by a differing opinion, I generally did not salute fellow Warrants. Senior Warrants that I did not know would be addressed by their ranks and or "sir/ma'am" until the bona fides were exchanged which permitted more casual address. With that said, as a CW3, I would never expect a WO1 to speak to me disrespectfully. I am OK with "Nick" and no salute, but Warrant Officers are professionals and still need to treat each other with respect.
I saw a some mid Warrants appointed the Jr Warrant Fridge duty on deployment . All good. Someone has to do it. But they would address (Dave) as Fridge Bitch and it started happening in front of enlisted crew chiefs. The first time I heard an E5 refer to our colleague as that, I lost my skull. Completely unacceptable.
The reason the Aviation, Special Forces (Company and below), and most Warrant Officers are notorious for "first names" is their communities breed a close team dynamic. Familiarity is not "contempt" but I would say Familiarity is fraternity. That's ok. I don't expect those outside the communities to have the same opinion... but the catch is that familiarity should encourage a higher demand for professionalism.
I don't have that courtesy anymore. Although I gravitate towards the cohesion of the cohort, some my best Warrant friends still insist on addressing me as "Sir" while in uniform after I took a Direct Comission. It was awkward at first, but as the years go by, I am realizing that they are only doing what Warrants do... express their professionalism.
Bottom line: The no salute and first name thing is a Warrant Officer thing. It's Ok that it's different. But Respect is also a Warrant Officer thing in addition to Situalional Awareness. When in doubt, salute the General.
Each WO branch has different customs. Tech Warrants tend to have more formality between them. Aviation (and SF) Warrants by virtue of their profession embrace more familiarity.
Unless I was on Fort Rucker enrolled in a course where my 1059 could be held hostage by a differing opinion, I generally did not salute fellow Warrants. Senior Warrants that I did not know would be addressed by their ranks and or "sir/ma'am" until the bona fides were exchanged which permitted more casual address. With that said, as a CW3, I would never expect a WO1 to speak to me disrespectfully. I am OK with "Nick" and no salute, but Warrant Officers are professionals and still need to treat each other with respect.
I saw a some mid Warrants appointed the Jr Warrant Fridge duty on deployment . All good. Someone has to do it. But they would address (Dave) as Fridge Bitch and it started happening in front of enlisted crew chiefs. The first time I heard an E5 refer to our colleague as that, I lost my skull. Completely unacceptable.
The reason the Aviation, Special Forces (Company and below), and most Warrant Officers are notorious for "first names" is their communities breed a close team dynamic. Familiarity is not "contempt" but I would say Familiarity is fraternity. That's ok. I don't expect those outside the communities to have the same opinion... but the catch is that familiarity should encourage a higher demand for professionalism.
I don't have that courtesy anymore. Although I gravitate towards the cohesion of the cohort, some my best Warrant friends still insist on addressing me as "Sir" while in uniform after I took a Direct Comission. It was awkward at first, but as the years go by, I am realizing that they are only doing what Warrants do... express their professionalism.
Bottom line: The no salute and first name thing is a Warrant Officer thing. It's Ok that it's different. But Respect is also a Warrant Officer thing in addition to Situalional Awareness. When in doubt, salute the General.
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