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I am going to beak it down for everyone how to address these spacific individuals: If a Master Sergeant has the diamond he is a First Sergeant and addressed as such or TOP because he is the highest enlisted Soldier in your unit. If there is a Master Sergeant without a Diamond they are addressed as Sergeant (not MSG, only if you are talking to someone else and specifying them by rank held). If there is a Sergeant First Class and they are acting as a First Sergeant they are addressed and Sergeant, not First Sergeant because they do not hold that specific rank, also acceptable for SFC is TOP because he is the highest enlisted Soldier in your unit if they are acting in that position. This Military Customs and Courtesies class is complete.
Posted in these groups: 
1SG
1SG
Posted 11 y ago
Responses: 62
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First let me say I am Old Core Army. In the Old Core, if a NCO is assigned to the position of 1SGT then that is their tittle at the Company Level no matter what rank they hold and should be addressed as such or TOP. Also there is no such thing as acting 1SGT, you are assigned to do a job not to act like your doing the job.<br>
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MSG Gene Potocki
Well put, I served as a Platoon Sergeant and Platoon Leader as a SSG while in the 75th Ranger Regiment and as a 1SG in 1st ID's LRS Detachment. I was addressed as 1SG by both the CO, BN CDR and CSM. It was my job title not acting till some one else came along. MY NCOER's while at Fort Riley did reflect Detachment NCOIC as the duty title. Also in the 90's you addressed a MSG as Master Sergeant. We recognized their hard work.
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CH (COL) Michael A. Milton
"Amen!" from an old Chaplain about to retire. Thank you for your clarity! No wonder you are TOP! God bless our NCOs! They are the BACKBONE of our Army (and Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Coast Guard, and our Merchant Marine, too).
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LTC (Join to see)
I was "acting" company CO for 8 months once. I did the job but didn't get credit for the command time because I was not officially line & para # on the UMR. The reason was because the unit had just come off deployment and most of their equipment was in reset and we couldn't do a change of command inventory and that held up the rest of the paperwork. All "acting" signifies is that you are not officially in that position on the UMR.
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Let me answer this question with what I am seeing in my unit right now. Currently 3/5 positions are being filled by non promotable SFCs. 2/3 have already a year if not close to a year under their belts! They are addressed as First Sergeants because that is their duty position. Our Brigade and Battalion level CSMs don't treat them like temporary fills. They hold their feet to the fire just like they do mine because that's their job! These SFCs asked for this level of responsibility and should be treated with the respect they are due.
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SFC (Join to see)
At the company level and a SFC is the 1SG, unit Soldiers know this and should be addressing the SFC as 1SG. If the same SFC is at the PX and in passing a Soldier doesn't know that the SFC is the unit 1SG, the Soldier is just going by what rank is being worn. Normally CPTs are Commanders of Companys, however I have seen 1LTs and MAJs as Company Commanders, they are still the Commander as the SFC is the 1SG and should be given that respect.
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CSM (Join to see)
There are a few within the Brigade that are not 1SGs and are pending retirement, medical etc but none in my Battalion.
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1SG Michael Blount
WHAT??? Oh HELL NO. Three up, three down and a diamond in the middle. THAT's a 1SG. Any other answer is just plain wrong. I have no problem with a hard charging SFC being put in a 1SG billet on an interim basis. He's still an SFC, however. Nothing changes until he pins on that new rank.
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I will start by saying you can read the regulation and try to split the hair any way you want it but everyone will interpret the words differently. The regulation does state you call a SFC as Sergeant and even call a MSG as Sergeant.<div><br></div><div>I will address senior NCOs by their full rank at times to get my point across so who I am speaking to knows who to search out. When talking to a Soldier I will say go to BDE S1 and see MSG XXX. That way they know they are looking for a MSG not just a SGT.</div><div><br></div><div>Now let's talk about calling a SFC a First Sergeant. Again we can talk about regulation or we can talk about affording someone the proper respect. If you are a SFC filling in for the 1SG while they go on leave I do not expect that SFC to be called Top or First Sergeant. If that SFC was picked to be the First Sergeant then I have no issues with the Soldiers calling that NCO as First Sergeant. They were put in that position and have earned the right to be called First Sergeant.</div><div><br></div><div>I will say the SFCs that demand you call them First Sergeant could be on a power trip. I always told my Soldiers to not call me First Sergeant when I stepped into that role as a SFC because I truly felt I had not earned that right yet. Over time is went from Sergeant to First Sergeant and I understood with that term there was respect and not just a title.</div>
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PO1 Rudy Lopez
Not a problem for the Marines, every rank is to be call its rank, the whole rank, and nothing but the rank so help the Marine Corps.<br>
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SPC (Join to see)
1SG, I was always taught that there was only four ways to address NCO's and they are Sergeant Major, First Sergeant Sergeant and Corpal. I say if you are going to address that Master Sergeant as such why not do it for all?
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SGM (Join to see)
There are times I will use a senior NCOs full rank. If one of my Soldiers asks who they need to see for a specific issue I will direct them to go see MSG XXX, SGM XXX or CSM XXX. I do this so the person I am talking to know they are looking for a certain rank. In normal conversation and talking to a MSG I will address them as Sergeant not MSG.
As I re-read my post I found out I put some erroneous words in there that would lead others to believe I call a MSG as MSG. That is only the case when it is for informational purposes.
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MSG (Join to see)
That is absolutely correct. However, for some reason is BCTs or what have you Soldiers refer the MSGs as Master Sergeant. Not sure why, but it's a common occurrence .
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