Getting Ready for the Marine's Ball - Protocol, How to Address People at Military Events

I consider myself pretty knowledgeable on etiquette (...that is because I have an specialty on it haha) and certainly the way military addresses themselves have a huge deal of protocol.

I will try to address some points here so you feel confortable while in a military event. While getting ready for the Ball, some questions came to my mind: Being a civilian in a military environment, how should I address them? Do the standard rules of protocol apply for them? Should I address them by their ranks?...do I have to know their ranks in the first place?

If you are the kind of person that thinks that everybody is the same, military or not,  then this article is not for you. Even though, as long as you use the basic protocol you will be good, this is for the ones that want to master the event.


If you ask my Marine boyfriend you would probably die with the answer :) He is very proud of what he does and has worked hard to get where he is, meaning yes, he wants to be recognized. First thing first, he expects me to learn the Marine's ranks. A complete list was submitted to me like a year ago, and I promised to be ready for the Ball, so, here I am. Not only I’m going to rock that list but I’m going to be the Queen of  protocol (I will also be tested by him on spot haha).


The first thing we need to know is: there is a difference between officers and enlisted. Addressing an enlisted as if they were officers won't make a good impression and it is even worst if you do the contrary, addressing an officer as an enlisted. Therefore, you need to know who is who.





To identify the rank (which will also tell you if they are officers or enlisted) you will need to look in different places depending on the uniform they are using and if they are in fact enlisted or officers, to locate the rank insignia.

Enlisted:

Cammies: collar.

Service Alfa/Bravo/Charlie and Dress Blues Alfa/Bravo/Charlie/Delta: side of the shoulder. 

Officers:

Cammies: collar.

Service Alfa: on top of the shoulder.

Service Bravo/Charlie: collar. 

Dress Blues Delta/Charlie: collar.

Dress Blues Alfa/Bravo: on top of the shoulder. 

Once you are able to identify if they are officers or enlisted then you have the following options:

Enlisted: no options here, sorry. If to address an enlisted, the proper way is by calling his/her rank or rank and last name. Do not call them “Sir/Ma’am”. Addressing them with the incorrect treatment may lead you to an an answer like: “SIR!  Don't call me sir, I work for a living!”. This is a civilian’s urban legend haha but just in case. For me, that would be very rude of them and I could die in despair if getting that answer but, well…be ready. They don't like it and some (salty old dogs) may even find it insulting. To do a good job, you must definitively call an enlisted by his/her rank, ex.: Corporal Brown.

It is very likely that you will be with someone in the military in this kind of events, so just wait to be introduced and then call them the same way the military person introduces them to you. Unless they are the same rank and friends, they will use protocol. If alone, always ask how to address them.

Officers: these are the easiest, in the way that if you fail to recognize the rank you can address them as “Sir/Ma’am” never “Mr./Mrs.” since this is only used in the Navy. If you want to go one step forward, then use the rank or rank and last name.

When I say “recognize” the rank I mean that you are able to distinguish between a Private from a Corporal, Sergeant, Staff Sergeant, etc. My Marine and I once went to a restaurant and he was wearing his Bravos. There was some kind of event were the police was acting as waiters to collect money for some charity. The officer that got our table mistakenly called my bf: lieutenant; he did not say anything back but I saw how his face disfigured, haha. Poor thing :) so yes, be careful.

There are some tricks that you will learn in your journey as how some ranks can go for shorter names (that I would only use if I’m friends with them) as Master Gunnery Sergeant can be addressed as "Master Guns", Master Sergeant as "Top" and  Gunnery Sergeants as “Gunny”. Marines often insist on the full title, ex.: Second Lieutenant Smith, Master Gunnery Sergeant Jones.


And remember, It is nice if a civilian correctly recognizes a rank when they are in uniform (and branch) but it is uncomfortable when they are wrong. If you are going to go all the way to the ranks, make sure you know them well.

Note: this applies for military events.  Be aware that the protocol varies from Branch to Branch, this specific one applies if you are in the Marine Corps family.