Navy & Coast Guardsmen. . . question for you

[Recluse]

Regarding senior NCOs, aka Chiefs.

How would you address a retired Master Chief? Would it be simply "Chief" or would it always, without fail, be "Master Chief?"

I have an old friend who is a retired master chief and we often refer to him, in person, simply as "Chief" and he takes zero umbrage at it.

Likewise, I have a friend who retired from the Coast Guard as a senior chief, and heaven help you if refer to him as anything other than "Senior Chief." Simply saying "Chief" to him gets you a furious scowl and an obscenity followed by "that's SENIOR Chief."

:coffee:

[jsizemore]

Chief. Tell him you didn't think he wanted everybody to know he wasn't smart/good enough to make Master after 20-30 years.

[BrassMagnet]

Regarding senior NCOs, aka Chiefs.

How would you address a retired Master Chief? Would it be simply "Chief" or would it always, without fail, be "Master Chief?"

I have an old friend who is a retired master chief and we often refer to him, in person, simply as "Chief" and he takes zero umbrage at it.

Likewise, I have a friend who retired from the Coast Guard as a senior chief, and heaven help you if refer to him as anything other than "Senior Chief." Simply saying "Chief" to him gets you a furious scowl and an obscenity followed by "that's SENIOR Chief."

:coffee:

I am a retired AT1.

I have a retired AE1 friend that almost explodes if he is not treated with respect by young punks.

If your self image it tied up in a past rank or title, or a current job title, then you have a serious personal problem.

Your retired Master Chief buddy has a good outlook on life.

The Senior Chief needs serious psychological counseling. He is at heightened risk for poor health and early death from heart attack or stroke or elevated blood pressure.

Yes, I am retired. Yes, I am eligible for early retirement again now and regular retirement in about four more years. Yes, many people show me respect for the work position I hold and my job title. My past and present titles are unrelated to who I am. I am secure in being myself, whether I hold a title or not.

[popper]

My previous boss often address or referred to me as Doc xxxx, but no Phd after my name. I always called the W.O. 'sir', Cheifs as 'cheif', yes even M. & S.M. I did forget to salute a Marine II Lt. ONCE. Only retired military I know that got the rank name was bros. ex father in law. Even his wife & daughter referred to him as Col. Everybody else uses their given name. We aren't in the UK. If they don't like it, they will find other friends. Absolutely NO disrespect intended for ex-military, but they are EX. I did call the retired 2 star I worked for Gen., that is the way he was introduced to me, was a great guy and signed my paycheck.

[beezapilot]

I'm a retired CPO. People call me Bob. I'm not in uniform, I can not issue an order. I'm retired.

I've some acquaintances from my service days that still show up to events in old uniforms. They don't meet grooming standards, many don't meet physical standards, and they expect respect for a uniform that they are disrespecting... Really???

[Bad Water Bill]

My neighbor was always called Art even when I was on boot camp leave.

CWO4 WHO did PICK UP A PHONE AND SAY "HELLO DAN THIS IS ART.

Yes that was Admiral Dan Gallery by the way and it WAS about Navy problems.

Some folks NEED their ego padded and some are confident just being themselves.

[shooter93]

It's always been interesting to me for civilians to be addressing someone by rank. Now you may not know the person's name and everyone calls a Doctor....Doc....but you never address any other professional by his rank or title. Master plumber, electrician, mechanic etc. So do we have respect for some abilities and not others? I never called a customer by their first name until I ran my own business. It was just the way it was but I generally tell people the mister isn't necessary when they address me. I listen carefully to people's names because prefer to be called Robert and not Bob so I address them that way. My niece who recently got married and is very close to us still says Uncle Scott and Aunt Colleen and customers I have had for years and seen their children grow up....the children all say Mister. I can tell them no mister but the parents invariably chime in....not till I say so. Maybe Ann Landers knows the "correct" way but me...I just wing it.

[DeputyDog25]

I was always taught that military etiquette required that a Master Chief, even retired is always addressed as Master Chief, just my 2cents worth.

[lefty o]

people who want to be called by their former rank after they get out or retire, have little man issues. if a man is wearing a uniform, i'll adress them by rank, but otherwise its by name. i have a cousin who used to wear a star on his collar, i dont call him general, heck i dont think we ever refered to each other by rank when we were both active duty. once had an executive officer who all but demanded to be called XO instead of by rank and name, or sir. back then most of us would adress him by sir or rank, just to watch him start twitching and the smoke come out of his ears.

[Mk42gunner]

I retired as a GM1. If he I was in his Navy uniform for some reason, I would call him Master Chief.

If he is in anything else, I would call him by name.

Robert

[jumbeaux]

I refer to all of my retired Military friends by their retirement rank...ie Master Chief...ie First Sergeant...ie Commander (even if a Lt. Commander)...ie Gunnery Sergeant (though I do came him Gunny)...I have the highest respect for them...

rick

[SeabeeMan]

Mk42Gunner nailed it. I'll throw in that there are Naval Uniform Regulations dictating the wear of uniforms by retirees and veterans, right down to grooming and height/weight standards.

He's retired and the two of you are friends. There is no UCMJ or military doctrine between friends, let alone 2 civilians/veterans. If you want to call him Chief, great. If you want to call him Senior Chief, that's just great as well. If you want to call him Seaman, Airman, Fireman, Constructionman, Hospitalman, bubble-head, or squid just to get him going, then more power to you. I have the greatest respect for all those who have served for any length of time and in any role or theater. BUT I hope somebody would put a boot up my butt if I ever demanded to be called by my prior rank.

[bruce drake]

I retired last year and am proud of the rank I eventually achieved but I decided to go to by my first name in everyday conversation in my new hometown. Makes things a lot simpler when I go into the grain store or hardware store or Legion Post where most of the members are prior enlisted.

Now I did decide to go back to college this fall to get my teaching degree. One of my classes this fall is an Astronomy course where the 36 year old Asst. Professor came into the classroom and told the class that he would be addressed as Professor Brown...I came up to him when the class took a break and told him that I would call him Professor the first time he showed up to class dressed as a Professor and not a surf reject. Its how you project your self as a professional. If you look like a professor you will be addressed as such. I'm growing a grey goatee to offset the military temperament I surely still carry from 20+ years of service but I still like being called Major...mostly by my former troops more than anything. I'm glad they still remember me enough to reach out on Facebook and through letters.

Bruce

P.S. Professor Brown has made a point of uping his level of attire. Collared shirts and ties now instead of the jean shorts and ratty t-shirt of the first day.

[snowwolfe]

My rank ended when I retired in 1992. I don't need nor want to be called by a title that I formally held. Call me by my first name. But some of the kids in my neighborhood address me as Mr Randy and I am OK with that.
I don't know of any of my friends who retired from the military that like to be addressed by their former rank.

[crazy mark]

I always call my retired friends by their 1st name. I have friends who were warrants, chiefs, master SGT, etc... They never pushed the issue about rank.

[TreeKiller]

When I was in the service a long time ago and worked on the surgical ward, I called every one Mister when they took off the uniform and put on the pajamas. I treated all of them the same from Bird Coronal to Airman 3 class. Once they were back in uniform I used their rank. This was at McDill with lots of retirees they were all called Mister.

[silverado]

If a former policemen tries to write you a ticket does it still count?

[seaboltm]

Mk42Gunner nailed it. I'll throw in that there are Naval Uniform Regulations dictating the wear of uniforms by retirees and veterans, right down to grooming and height/weight standards.

He's retired and the two of you are friends. There is no UCMJ or military doctrine between friends, let alone 2 civilians/veterans. If you want to call him Chief, great. If you want to call him Senior Chief, that's just great as well. If you want to call him Seaman, Airman, Fireman, Constructionman, Hospitalman, bubble-head, or squid just to get him going, then more power to you. I have the greatest respect for all those who have served for any length of time and in any role or theater. BUT I hope somebody would put a boot up my butt if I ever demanded to be called by my prior rank.

He nailed it. I have ranks in military, LE, and even a Ph.D. Just call me Mike.

[Recluse]

Hmmm. Ought to inject a little background for why I'm asking--

Primarily, it's for the upcoming book I'm about to go into editing with. I have a retired Master Chief who was a legend at his job and was extremely well-regarded by sailors of all rank. In some areas, I have a few ex-sailors referring to him as "Master Chief" and in other more personal conversations, he's just "Chief."

In my (military) experience, attaining the rank of E-9 was hugely significant--and that was a Chief Master Sergeant. Some of my Army counterparts had the same equal regard for their Sergeant Majors, but when one was a Command Sergeant Major, that was almost mystical.

My curiosity is more of a respect thing for the purposes of literature. I have a number of retired E-9 friends and I affectionately call them Chief or Sar Major or Butthead or Retarded (military speak for "retired"). I'll also call them by their first names if they owe me money or beer from a pool game or college football wager. :) They could care less what I call them so long as I have a beer in my hand that is headed their way.

But in the VFW halls and at some vet functions, a lot of my friends (me included) are comfortable referring to our comrades who attained that mystical E-9 rank as "Chief or Sar Major."

I just didn't know if it breached etiquette to refer to a Master Chief as simply "Chief."

The Coastie who insists on being called "Senior Chief" rather than just plain "Chief" if you mistakenly greet him by anything other than (poop)Head is a rare one. The overwhelming majority of former and retired Coast Guardsmen I have encountered have been among the lowest profile and most even-keel professionals anyone could meet.

:coffee:

[Tyler Anderson]

I would use their first name. Chief is a cool name as is Gunny. Sarge is offensive. If someone gets that worked up about their former rank, I would likely stop talking to him.

[silverado]

I had chief on my last boat that tried to tourneaquit a head wound. The rank alone means nothing to me.

[jmort]

"Some of my Army counterparts had the same equal regard for their Sergeant Majors, but when one was a Command Sergeant Major, that was almost mystical."


Was just reading about a Command Sargent Major tonight, Meal of Honor recipient and true hero Bennie G. Adkins. He is credited with killing minimum of 135 up to 175 in a single battle.

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bennie_G._Adkins

[Lloyd Smale]

been a while so this answer is dated. Back in the day we called our master chief "master chief" in any formal setting but while at work in the engine room it was usually just chief. I think its changed a bit since then and a bit more formal and now it is considered wrong to call a senior or master chief just chief. Ive heard them called master chief and senior chief and ive heard them called master and senior but not just chief.

[goodolejim]

As a former corpsman attached to the Marine Corps I am called Doc by Marines (even in civilian clothes) but am Jim to everyone else. I call Marines by their first name if in civilian clothing but by rank when they are in uniform. A lot of former service Marines do wear their uniform for the Marine Corps Birthday Celebration and Ball, funerals and other appropriate occasions IF they still meet dress and appearance standards. Calling someone Gunny or Sergeant is Ok but sarge will bring very visible displeasure at once.

Semper Fi

Doc Olive

[warboar_21]

I don't stroke egos. I call my friends by their names and that's that. I have many friends who have retired from just about every branch both enlisted and officer and none of them expect you to call them by their rank. Nor do I. I have known a few who feel they need to called Sgt major or Col but those are the ones who have nothing going for them in the civilian world.
I am proud to have served but it's in the past and only part of my life.

[SeabeeMan]

To address your question regarding the book, I never knew Master or Senior that didn't insist on the proper rank being used: you'd never call Master Chief "Chief." That was my experience up to 2006 when I finished my active duty time with the Seabees. We also went by our rate and petty officer rank as NCO's. I.e. EA1, CM3, etc. not sure how that carries over to the fleet but that was what was common with the battalions and public works I was with, saw well as the SEALs and Airdales I had the pleasure of working closely with.

[Frank46]

Went in the local navy recruiting office to inquire about some old recruiting posters. The recruiter was a lady chief. After some 40 odd years remembered to call he chief. Was looking for one of the older posters with a 1890's ship and the bluejacket on the pier. Found exactly what I was looking for. Framed and hanging on the wall. Frank

[Bad Water Bill]

When the promotion list for E8 came out in June 1959 my shop chief found his name on the list but he still answered to Chief.

A very down to earth super smart man and definitely deserving of the promotion.