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.