Posted on Jun 6, 2016
I work in a Joint Environment. What are everyone's thoughts on Service Members addressing each other on a first name basis?
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Posted in these groups: 
Professionalism
Joint Service
Professionalism Joint Service
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 49
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Situational dependent. With peers and subordinate officers, away from Soldiers, I will use first names some of the time. Never with my seniors (even the ones who are no longer on active duty). Only time I ever called NCO's by first name is if they and I were part of the command team (OIC/NCOIC) and always behind closed doors.
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SFC (Join to see)
Okay, Sir. Fair enough. I will still continue to find it unprofessional. I don't do "rank has its privileges." Sometimes I joke with my subordinates. When I do, I totally expect them to "return fire." The result is that I don't ever shoot with a higher caliber than I'm prepared to take in return.
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1LT (Join to see)
PO2 (Join to see) - even in the movie theater? Even when you are at home with your Army spouse? Certainly, it's not warrant in all situations.
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I view use of first name as I do profanity,, when I use either I want it to be received as different, to serve as an attention getter. Thus I do not overuse the first name address commonly..(profanity Im a little more liberal with..lol)
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SGT Zac Roberts
Apologies SGM, call me by my first name when you're chewing me out and be prepared to go out back. I'm a grown man and you aren't my mother. Your tone will say everything about how to understand your cussing. I'll own my faults as a soldier as a soldier.
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SSG Joseph Henderson
I would do the mom and dad thing if it was one of my troops. Rank followed by first middle and last name.
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SSG Jason Penn
As I see it, I have a first name for a reason. When dealing with other soldiers, if it were a professional setting (i.e. work related), then my rank was preferred, but if it was as friends hanging out at the club, then use my first name! Now that I am retired, I prefer the use of my first name in almost all settings. My rank does not relate in the civilian world and I hate being called Mr. Penn.
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At my second duty station, I worked around a lot of Government Civilians and Government Contractors.
The "norm" was to refer to them by first name, even if they were retired military or reservists. That said, if one of them called me Aaron, I wouldn't correct them. There was a level of "informality" because of the Civilian/Military divide.
I've seen the same thing for Officers and Enlisted. Many times you will hear Officers (Seniors to juniors and among Peers) refer to each other by first name. It's not uncommon. I've been called by my first name by Officers in "private" (never in front of the troops) and treated it as a cultural difference.
I looked at it much the same was as calling a peer or junior by their callsign in private. It's a team building level of familiarity which does NOT interfere with good order and discipline.
The "norm" was to refer to them by first name, even if they were retired military or reservists. That said, if one of them called me Aaron, I wouldn't correct them. There was a level of "informality" because of the Civilian/Military divide.
I've seen the same thing for Officers and Enlisted. Many times you will hear Officers (Seniors to juniors and among Peers) refer to each other by first name. It's not uncommon. I've been called by my first name by Officers in "private" (never in front of the troops) and treated it as a cultural difference.
I looked at it much the same was as calling a peer or junior by their callsign in private. It's a team building level of familiarity which does NOT interfere with good order and discipline.
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