Customs

1
Customs Courtesies
Theyre NOT Just For Cadets Anymore
No, REALLY!!
Lt Col Davis
2
Overview

• Caveats
• Saluting
• Grade Insignia, Titles Terms of Address
• Chain of Command
• Parting Shots

3
Caveats

• Im Presenting Information
• Shoot the messenger if you wish
• Commanders Responsibility to Enforce
• EVERYONE has responsibility to inform correct
• Cadet Impact
• Has Very Real Consequences To Our Organization

4
Saluting

• General Rules
• Outdoors in Uniform
• Required between juniors and seniors
• NCOs/Airmen salute all Officers
• Junior officers salute senior officers
• On military installations, salute staff vehicles
• Vehicles with people in them, not empty ones!
• People of equal ranks MAY salute each other!
• 2 Airmen or 2 NCOs may salute each other
• Junior salutes first
• All salutes rendered should be returned

5
Saluting

• General Rules
• Indoors in Uniform
• Only in a formal reporting situation
• Hey come here I wanna show you something
• Lt Jones report to my office right now!

6
Saluting

• Some Specific Rules
• Outdoors in Uniform
• If in a formation, formation leader salutes
• If in a group but NOT in formation (Gaggle)
• First person to see Senior calls area to
  Attention
• Contrary to what seems to be Region tribal
  wisdom
• EVERYONE IN THE GROUP SALUTES!
• Not just the senior person in group,
  EVERYONE
• If the senior officer talks...
• If part of a work detail, leader salutes

7
Saluting

• Wargames

You are a Senior Member Major and the leader of
flight marching to breakfast (Yes, a flight of
seniors actually marching!). On the way, your
flight approaches a CAP Colonel. Who salutes
whom?
The Major salutes the Colonel and nobody in the
flight salutes.
You are a Cadet 1st Lt and are on Warren AFB. You
are outside with a group of CAP Senior member
lieutenants and captains. You spot an Air Force
Lieutenant Colonel approaching your group. What
happens next is up to you. What will it be?
Since you saw him/her approaching, you call the
area to attention and everyone in the gaggle
salutes. If the senior officer says Carry on,
the person calling the area to attention echoes,
Carry On, Sir/Maam! If the senior officer
speaks to anyone in the group, all remain at
attention unless put at ease. When the
conversation is done, ALL members of the group
come to Attention (if necessary) salute again
as the officer departs.
8
Saluting

• Wargames

You are a CAP senior member Colonel and are
walking from your car to the base exchange on
Warren AFB. As you approach the door, a USAF
Airman First Class approaches you. The A1C does
not salute you. What do you do?
Cry if you want to, but this is an acceptable
situation. However from what Ive seen, most USAF
enlisted people will salute CAP Officers. If they
do, be very gracious about returning it.
9
Saluting

• Wargames

You are a C/Captain and have just arrived at your
weekly meeting. One of your troops approaches you
and says the Cadet Commander (also a C/Captain)
wants to see you in his office immediately when
you arrive. How will you handle this one?
This one is tough and there are a lot of
variables that can play into it. Is this a
formal reporting situation or does the commander
just want to ask you a question? What about the
grade, do you salute someone who is the same rank
as you? What if your cadet commander is junior in
grade to you? When in doubt, report! Generally in
CAP, for formal situations such as reporting or
awards ceremonies, the commander outranks
his/her people for the duration of the situation.
Outside of those situations, normal grade rules
apply and a C/1Lt cadet commander should salute a
C/Major assigned to the unit.
10
Saluting

• Wargames

You are a Senior Member Major standing outside
talking to a group of other Senior Member
Officers, some senior and some junior to you. A
gaggle of Cadets approaches the group. Who does
what with which to whom?
ALL the Cadets should salute ALL the Senior
Member officers, and ALL the Senior Member
officers should return the salute to ALL the
Cadets.
11
Saluting

• Wargames

You are a C/Captain and you are supervising a
group of cadets during a SCUD. A Senior Member
major approaches you. What do you do?
You salute for the work detail. The work detail
continues with their work.
12
Saluting

• For an Award
• Remember STS
• Shake
• Take
• Salute
• Shake the presenters hand as you approach
• Take the award (usually smiling for photo)
• Salute before returning to your place
• If a civilian is presenting the award, dont
  salute

13
Grade Insignia, Titles Terms of Address
14
Enlisted Grades
Title Addressed As
Written Abbreviation
SrA
15
Enlisted Grades
Title Addressed As
Written Abbreviation
Staff Sergeant
Sergeant or Staff Sergeant
Staff Sergeant
SSgt
Technical Sergeant
Sergeant or Technical Sergeant
Technical Sergeant
TSgt
Sergeant or Master Sergeant
MSgt
Master Sergeant
Master Sergeant
16
Enlisted Grades
Title Addressed As
Written Abbreviation
Senior Master Sergeant
Sergeant or Senior Master Sergeant
Senior Master Sergeant
SMSgt
Chief Or Chief Master Sergeant
Chief Master Sergeant
Chief Master Sergeant
CMSgt
17
Enlisted Grades
Title Addressed As Written Abbreviation
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
Chief
Chief Master Sergeant of the Air Force
CMSAF
18
Officer Grades
Title Addressed As
Written Abbreviation
Second Lieutenant
Lieutenant or Second Lieutenant
Second Lieutenant
2d Lt
First Lieutenant
First Lieutenant
Lieutenant or First Lieutenant
1st Lt
Captain
Capt
Captain
Captain
19
Officer Grades
Title Addressed As
Written Abbreviation
Major
Major
Major
Maj
Lieutenant Colonel
Lt Col
Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel or Lieutenant Colonel
Colonel
Col
Colonel
Colonel
20
Officer Grades
Title Addressed As
Written Abbreviation
Brigadier General
General or Brigadier General
Brigadier General
Brig Gen
Maj Gen
Major General
Major General
General or Major General
21
Cadet Enlisted Grades
Title Addressed As
Written Abbreviation
C/SrA
22
Cadet Enlisted Grades
Title Addressed As
Written Abbreviation
C/MSgt
23
Cadet Enlisted Grades
Title Addressed As
Written Abbreviation
C/SMSgt
C/CMSgt
24
Cadet Officer Grades
Title Addressed As Written Abbreviation
Title Addressed As Written Abbreviation
Title Addressed As Written Abbreviation
Cadet Second Lieutenant
Cadet First Lieutenant
Cadet Captain
Cadet Second Lieutenant or Cadet Lieutenant
Cadet First Lieutenant or Cadet Lieutenant
Cadet Captain
Cadet Second Lieutenant
Cadet First Lieutenant
Cadet Captain
C/2d Lt
C/1st Lt
C/Capt
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Cadet Officer Grades
Title Addressed As Written Abbreviation
Title Addressed As Written Abbreviation
Title Addressed As Written Abbreviation
Cadet Major
Cadet Lieutenant Colonel
Cadet Colonel
Cadet Major
Cadet Lieutenant Colonel or Cadet Colonel
Cadet Colonel
Cadet Major
Cadet Lieutenant Colonel
Cadet Colonel
C/Maj
C/Lt Col
C/Col
26
Chain of Command
An Organizational Structure designed to provide
a clear chain of command running from the
President to the most junior Airman - Air Force
Instruction 38-101
27
Chain of Command

• Why is it there/why is it important?
• Who does it apply to?
• When is it OK to break it?

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CAP CHAIN OF COMMAND, SENIOR MEMBERS
NATIONAL COMMANDER
National HQ Staff Members
Region Commander
Region Staff Members
Wing Commander
Wing Staff Members
Coordination Information
COMMAND
Group Commander
(If Applicable)
Group Staff Members
Squadron Commander
Squadron Staff Members
Flight Commander
(If Applicable)
Senior Members
29
CAP CHAIN OF COMMAND, CADETS
NATIONAL COMMANDER
National HQ Staff Members
Region Commander
Region Staff Members
Coordination Information
Wing Commander
Wing Staff Members
Group Commander
(If Applicable)
COMMAND
Group Staff Members
Squadron Commander
Squadron Staff Members
30
Parting Shots

• Seniors really CAN use Sir Maam as terms of
  address
• Yes Sir/Maam and No Sir/Maam arent only for
  cadets
• Yeah and Nope are not cool
• Military courtesy to STAND UP when speaking to an
  officer senior to you
• Gossiping about superiors is unprofessional

31
Parting Shots

• Titles of Address for Chaplains, MDs and PhDs
• First conversation (incl. e mail) with someone
  senior to you
• Calling that person by their first name isnt a
  good start
• E mail is a useful tool BUT
• If theres 100 ways to interpret something you
  write 99 are good
• Dont write or two sentence e mails, write them
  as you would a letter
• Use a greeting, a closing and say please and
  thank you

32
Parting Shots

• Why is this stuff important?

33
QUESTIONS?
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Summary

• Saluting
• Grade Insignia Terms of Address
• Chain of Command
• Parting Shots