# Military insignia **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 30, 2003, 9:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-insignia/165197 "2003-03-30T09:08:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-insignia/165197/21 "2003-03-31T18:27:51Z")
Marines do not have the “subdued” insignia for officers. They just tend to not wear the shiny ones conspicuously in battle. If your men don’t know who you are by then, you have bigger problems. ---
**Author:** ![T.Slothrop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3e96dc/32.png) [@T.Slothrop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T.Slothrop)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-insignia/165197/22 "2003-03-31T18:52:00Z")
originally posted by Rilchiam * * * No, I’m just interested in American. There are some military-type persons passing through here, and I would like to be able to address them as “Colonel” or whatever, if necessary. * * * I forgot Warrant Officers. Even though you are supposed to call WO1s “Mister”, and WO2 through WO5 “Chief”, you can get away with calling them all “Chief” ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-insignia/165197/23 "2003-03-31T19:53:04Z")
…I think I’ll just call them “sir” like any other customer… ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-insignia/165197/24 "2003-03-31T19:54:09Z")
…male customer that is… ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-insignia/165197/25 "2003-03-31T20:18:17Z")
> [@](#): > > …I think I’ll just call them “sir” like any other customer… Then you’ll at least need to learn the difference between enlisted and officers. I understand that many enlisted personnel will be offended at being called “sir” (or “ma’am”, as appropriate). ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [March 31, 2003, 10:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-insignia/165197/26 "2003-03-31T22:29:54Z")
Okay, what’s that difference, then? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-insignia/165197/27 "2003-04-01T02:05:04Z")
Just basic military formal courtesy. Dating back to ages when Officers were gentry, Enlisted men proletariat – if s/he is a commissioned or warrant officer, “sir/ma’am” is proper; if an enlisted man , address by title. “Don’t call me Sir, I work for a living” is Sarge’s way of saying hey, I get my hands dirty and keep it real. But if you are a civilian, only a really asinine NCO or Officer would make a big stink about _you_ knowing all the intricacies, if you are otherwise being polite, friendly and helpful. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-insignia/165197/28 "2003-04-01T03:55:51Z")
No, no, I figured that! But you said “learn the difference”. Is there another visual I should notice, besides the absence of hardware? ---
**Author:** ![UncleBill](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/d26b3c/32.png) [@UncleBill](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UncleBill)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 5:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-insignia/165197/29 "2003-04-01T05:05:10Z")
Basic rule. If it’s shiny, it’s an officer. Bars, Oak Leaves, Birds, and Stars are officers. Pinned onto collars. Enlisted have stripes, chevrons, and rockers, all variants of of a line, often found on shirt sleeves, sometimes pinned to the collars, but typically black when on collars. Exceptions are an issue, like Navy Chiefs have shinies on collar, and dress in all khaki like Navy officers. But Chiefs are used to people getting confused, so don’t get worked up about that exception. ---
**Author:** ![Rilchiam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/2bfe46/32.png) [@Rilchiam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rilchiam)\ **Post date:** [April 1, 2003, 5:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-insignia/165197/30 "2003-04-01T05:23:51Z")
Ahhhhhh. Okay. Thank you. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-insignia/165197.md?page=1)