How to Adress a Petty Officer

[Sgt_G]

I did 4 years in the Army

I did 26 years in the US Air Force, 7 of those stationed on Army posts, and 21 years married to a Navy girl (while on active duty ... coming up on 32 years total). I also worked with Marines a couple times, and had a good friend in the Coast Guard.

 

[Nakita Akita]

I did 26 years in the US Air Force, 7 of those stationed on Army posts, and 21 years married to a Navy girl. I also worked with Marines a couple times, and had a good friend in the Coast Guard.

I might have stayed on longer but the PT was killing me already at a young age.
I'd have never made it to 20.

 

[Sgt_G]

Forgot to mention: when addressing a SCPO or MCPO, always Always ALWAYS add the Senior / Master in front of Chief. I made the mistake of calling a SCPO just "Chief" once. Only once.

 

[Ar-Pharazon]

Forgot to mention: when addressing a SCPO or MCPO, always Always ALWAYS add the Senior / Master in front of Chief. I made the mistake of calling a SCPO just "Chief" once. Only once.

Navy boot camp, 1985, our CC was a CPO. We called him just "chief" once and got reamed. He yelled "Do I look like a fucking Indian?". Apparently he preferred the full monty of "Chief Petty Officer Gage".

 

[Sgt_G]

I can believe it. I had a supervisor who went to being a tech-school instructor. I heard that when he put Master Sgt (E-7) on, he made not only the students but also the junior instructors call him "Master Sgt Baker", not just Sgt Baker. Maybe it was because he was an ex-cop before cross-training. Half the time I come thru the gate and have my ID checked, the gate guard will tell me, "Have a nice day, Master Sgt" even tho I'm retired.

 

[Nakita Akita]

I can believe it. I had a supervisor who went to being a tech-school instructor. I heard that when he put Master Sgt (E-7) on, he made not only the students but also the junior instructors call him "Master Sgt Baker", not just Sgt Baker. Maybe it was because he was an ex-cop before cross-training. Half the time I come thru the gate and have my ID checked, the gate guard will tell me, "Have a nice day, Master Sgt" even tho I'm retired.

When I took the E-5 board (Army)
Terms of address for Sergeant: sergeant First Sergeant, sergeant Major. Mmmm,
I might not pass the test now.....
But in the Army you'd never address a person as "master sergeant Jones, Staff sergeant Wilson is looking for you."
Nope, those two don't fly.

 

[Sgt_G]

Right, because if I had told a Master Sgt that a Staff Sgt was looking for him, I'd be told, "Well, then, he can bloody well come find me, because I'm not going to go to him."

 

[Nakita Akita]

Right, because if I had told a Master Sgt that a Staff Sgt was looking for him, I'd be told, "Well, then, he can bloody well come find me, because I'm not going to go to him."

They would have told me,"master sergeant and staff sergeant are not a terms of address so you need to say again."