View Full Version : What is the proper greeting for a female gunnery sergeant?
AlohaMarine
05-07-11, 07:24 PM
Holy **** this threw me for a loop the other day.
Three male officers, 1 male SSgt, 1 male GySgt, and 1 female GySgt.
What the **** is the correct greeting? I obviously saluted, but I didn't say anything. One of the CWO's then said "Sergeant, why didn't you give us a greeting?"
I told him verbatim
"Because I didn't know what to call this gaggle **** of ranks and genders, sir."
He of course asked for my unit and my 1stSgts name and all that crap, I get out next week I don't really give a ****.
But I'm still perplexed. What the **** do I say?
Good afternoon Gentlemen, and gunnery sergeants?
Good afternoon GySgt and Gentlemen? (She is a female, is she first?) Holy **** talk about a wicked way to end a Friday afternoon.
I've gotten yelled at a bunch of times for saluting female officers and saying "Good morning Sir".
When they ask me "Do I look like I man?!?"
I reply "Yes" and that usually gets them irate enough to leave me alone. If you're going to shave your ****ing head how do I know you aren't a 22 year old male lieutenant with a 2 week old haircut?
jwilcox27
05-07-11, 07:37 PM
Wow that truly is a gaggle **** of ranks and genders I honestly have no clue what to call that. Maybe "Good Morning Cluster ****."
BauerBrat
05-07-11, 07:46 PM
Holy **** this threw me for a loop the other day.
Three male officers, 1 male SSgt, 1 male GySgt, and 1 female GySgt.
What the **** is the correct greeting? I obviously saluted, but I didn't say anything. One of the CWO's then said "Sergeant, why didn't you give us a greeting?"
I told him verbatim
"Because I didn't know what to call this gaggle **** of ranks and genders, sir."
He of course asked for my unit and my 1stSgts name and all that crap, I get out next week I don't really give a ****.
But I'm still perplexed. What the **** do I say?
Good afternoon Gentlemen, and gunnery sergeants?
Good afternoon GySgt and Gentlemen? (She is a female, is she first?) Holy **** talk about a wicked way to end a Friday afternoon.
I've gotten yelled at a bunch of times for saluting female officers and saying "Good morning Sir".
When they ask me "Do I look like I man?!?"
I reply "Yes" and that usually gets them irate enough to leave me alone. If you're going to shave your ****ing head how do I know you aren't a 22 year old male lieutenant with a 2 week old haircut?
Is this guy for real??? You're actually in the Corps??? Son I can guarantee if you ever said that to anyone above your paygrade you'd be talkng to a JAG right about now
I think you just like to talk big. Makes you feel important doesn't it? Freud would have a field day with you. You're getting out in a week, good take that POS attitude with you. You don't like the Corps then just leave and become a civilian. My two brothers gave their lives for this country both Marines, one during WW2 the other in Korea.
I'm an old man but I still love the Corps. Something that you sadly never acquired.
michagnu
05-07-11, 07:47 PM
Excellent question. I would probably have saluted and said Good (Morning/Afternoon/Evening) Marines but I don't claim any expert knowledge of custom and courtesy.
Old Marine
05-07-11, 08:04 PM
Aloha: Why are you worried about it. You are history in a week and will soon be wondering how to greet your profs.
Marine1011
05-07-11, 08:15 PM
AlohaMarine has a history of not being able to post without having expletives deleted, he hates his subordinates, has told them to their faces, does not like the Corps, but now is worried about how to address people?
Got-to-be-****tting-me-private
SlingerDun
05-07-11, 08:51 PM
Yeah i'd say Good "time of day" Marines, and go about my way trying to dodge another office hours before EAS
I've gotten yelled at a bunch of times for saluting female officers and saying "Good morning Sir".
When they ask me "Do I look like I man?!?"
I reply "Yes" and that usually gets them irate enough to leave me aloneahahahaha, not<label for="rb_iconid_6">http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/images/icons/icon6.gif</label>
EGA1957
05-07-11, 09:26 PM
Seems more like Aloha is just yanking everyone's chain rather than asking a straight-up question.
But when I was an MP (and at Quantico there was no shortage of being in such situations and I must have had an experience I'm not seeing anyone else here so far have) and I approached such a composition, it would have been 2nd nature to salute and greet with, "Good(X), gentlemen and Sergeants." (If there had been a female officer with the group, it would have just required a "& Ma'am" to the salutation.)
As I recall, any "salute" was actually rendered to the highest present officer, but those accompanying would be recognized as well.
3043pog
05-07-11, 10:34 PM
When in doubt,whip it out! I would have said "good morning/evening gents and kept on walking. Don't think anyone would have locked you up for that. Good question though!
Tennessee Top
05-07-11, 11:01 PM
I'd go with "good morning Marines" (which would cover all hands concerned appropriately) but since you're so ate up with your short timers attitude it don't mean crap.
Good luck with your civilian life...hope you're not disappointed.
Yeah i'd say Good "time of day" Marines, and go about my way trying to dodge another office hours before EAS
ahahahaha, not<label for="rb_iconid_6">http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/images/icons/icon6.gif</label>
Too Many 4 letter words to consider as your choices aloha
with your lead in.
Good (time of day ) Marines ....should cover your keester. Let them quibble
with the term, it's rank and gender neutral, and befits them all.
Yeah i'd say Good "time of day" Marines, and go about my way trying to dodge another office hours before EAS
ahahahaha, not<label for="rb_iconid_6">http://www.leatherneck.com/forums/images/icons/icon6.gif</label>
Too Many 4 letter words to consider as your choices aloha
with your lead in.
Good (time of day ) Marines ....should cover your keester. Let them quibble
with the term, it's rank and gender neutral, and befits them all.
What is the proper greeting for a female gunnery sergeant?
is how you phrased the topic/thread,,,/
TO THAT THE ANSWER IS
Gunnery Sergeant
would have thought that is obvious
jwilcox27
05-07-11, 11:28 PM
I don't know about the rest of you, but if I get my azz chewed I don't like to broadcast it, I like to learn from my mistake and move on. Repeatedly getting chewed out doesn't make you better Aloha. With all due respect if I had a Sgt. with that attitude I would tell him that he needs to get his **** together because someone that thinks like that doesn't deserve to lead Marines.
jwilcox27
05-07-11, 11:33 PM
Wow, I love having the responsibility of being in charge of Marines and being the one that they come to first, I take pride in y junior Marines as well as my job. If you aren't capable of that then...
jwilcox27
05-07-11, 11:36 PM
Definately, he will find that the job market is already extremely tough and with that attitude he will not be welcome in any company and will find it extremely difficult to succeed.
AlohaMarine
05-07-11, 11:55 PM
ROFL! Come on Dave, don't give me so much credit! <br />
<br />
I never said I hate my Marines! <br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
Yes I'm for real. And yes I really said it, I will wait for JAG to call...maybe they are waiting until...
AlohaMarine
05-07-11, 11:56 PM
Instead of focusing on my inadequacies maybe we can work on the answer to my question?
So the general consensus is "Good XXXXX, Marines." ?
That sounds like it'd work for me. I was just focused on "Sir, gentlemen, gunnery sergeants???"
AlohaMarine
05-07-11, 11:58 PM
Ohhh. You're right.
I remember it vividly now.
"I hate you."
But I do hate them. One guy beats his wife, another one's in the brig for selling drugs, a few are good to go but everytime one of them ****s up its my fault.
How the **** do I stop a grown ass man from going to Waikiki and ****ing a male prostitute?
There are a couple other options aloha
consider
Good (time of day) (Senior rank )Good ( time of day ) Marines
as in
Good Morning General, Good Morning Marines.
you've acknowledged the senior and the lessors with out dis-respect
dont get into a battle of witts with them
the odds are against you and you might find
yourself short on ammo for a long fight
just remember the acronym (KISS )
There are a couple other options aloha
consider
Good (time of day) (Senior rank )Good ( time of day ) Marines
as in
Good Morning General, Good Morning Marines.
Good Morning General,(pause ) Marines.
you've acknowledged the senior and the lessors with out dis-respect
dont get into a battle of witts with them
the odds are against you and you might find
yourself short on ammo for a long fight
just remember the acronym (KISS )
AlohaMarine
05-08-11, 12:46 AM
If you want me to mentor you I will consider it, but you have to follow my advice to the letter. Every time you feel like acting out in civilian life, I can help you avoid it by talking with you about exercising common sense in those situations.
You want to hear my plan?
First off, and I know you don't believe me, but I am putting the Marine Corps behind me. I don't want anyone to know. Too many liberal professors, idiot students, etc. I have a wife so I don't need to impress any girls and I don't want to make friends with 18 year old kids. I lived with family in Hawaii for 4 years and thats the end of it.
As far as acting out, thats just the way I am. I've been working on it forever and no one has ever tried to "help" me. I'm always belligerent, and I always have the smart ass answer to everything. I'm loud and rambunxious but never annoying, I guess I would be considered the class clown of my unit.
Either way, I've tried to stop it, be calmer and more collected but I just get rowdy sometimes.
YLDNDN6
05-08-11, 08:01 AM
The salute was being rendered to the officers, who were all male, so the greeting would be primarily rendered to them as well. To include all members of the group in the greeting, you would probably say something like "Good "time of day" gentlemen, Marines."
Old Marine
05-08-11, 10:33 AM
After he gets out he will be going around saluting all the fire hydrants and giving the proper greeting. First time he comes down hard on some college kid, he will be trying to get back into the military.
Aloha, why/how would a skivie stacker want to scare the Mexican viligantes? Maybe by stacking skivie's.
MUSTANG0369
05-08-11, 11:00 AM
Rank is always addressed first, So the proper greeting would be
Good XXXXXXX Gentlemen with the salute, then Good XXXXXX whatever the rank of the female, in this case GySgt.
If the female is the senior ranking person, then they are addressed first.
Hope it makes sense.
YourPhoneIsMine
05-08-11, 06:13 PM
if I recall correctly it should be rank then gender. sorta like mathematic orders of operations
in that situation it would be good morning gentlement, pause, gunny
if there was a female captain in that group it'd be morning maam, gentlement, gunny
but if it had been a male bootenant and one of the cwos was female it'd be gentlement, maam, gunny or at that point it could just be gentlement, ladies
it's pretty much just tradition, I don't think there are any written rules regarding the scenario. just go with your best guess, go with "ladies, gentlemen" to keep it simple and if someone gives you **** for it or bothers to call your command then at least you know how has far too much time in their schedule to worry about meaningless bull****
YourPhoneIsMine
05-08-11, 07:53 PM
YourPhone, by the time you greeted them in order, they would be blocks away. LOL
well not each one individually
but since a salute is supposed to occur between 6 and 30 paces it's not that hard to pop one off, 'morning sir', then nod at the rockers with a "mornin gunnies" or something like that
takes only a few seconds. though I've often gotten away with a "good morning everyone"
for some reason a certain type of higher up will think it's inappropriate for a non-rate to call SNCOs and officers just "marines" instead of a more formal greeting. which I think is retarded but that's just the tip of the iceberg with some of them
Zulu 36
05-08-11, 08:04 PM
Technically, you would be saluting and greeting the senior officer in the group. The rest just bask in his reflected glory.
USNAviator
05-08-11, 08:13 PM
Having been on the receiving end of this cr$p, my personal rule of thumb is to address the highest rank, by rank. I've had my share of dealings with Admirals and it was always "Good morning Admiral, Gentleman" If its a meeting with a mixture you still refer to the most senior by rank, the rest are grouped together until you come to the enlisted then again it's by most senior rank "Good morning Master Chief, at ease" It's implied I'm addressing the enlisted men not by name or rate but putting them at ease. No need to stand on formality. A good SNCO will know what to do and make sure those under him get the message
Old Marine
05-08-11, 09:00 PM
When walking with an Officer you walk on his left and stay in step with him. Rule of thumb is WHEN IN DOUBT, IF IT MOVES, SALUTE IT. IF IT DOES NOT MOVE, PAINT IT MARINE GREEN, GIVE IT A STOCK NUMBER AND GIVE IT TO SUPPLY.
AlohaMarine
05-08-11, 10:11 PM
if I recall correctly it should be rank then gender. sorta like mathematic orders of operations
in that situation it would be good morning gentlement, pause, gunny
if there was a female captain in that group it'd be morning maam, gentlement, gunny
but if it had been a male bootenant and one of the cwos was female it'd be gentlement, maam, gunny or at that point it could just be gentlement, ladies
it's pretty much just tradition, I don't think there are any written rules regarding the scenario. just go with your best guess, go with "ladies, gentlemen" to keep it simple and if someone gives you **** for it or bothers to call your command then at least you know how has far too
much time in their schedule to worry about meaningless bull****
But there were TWO gunnery sergeants. You would still say "Gentlemen, pause, Gunny." ?
AlohaMarine
05-08-11, 10:13 PM
But imagine trying to figure out all that stuff AS they come toward you?? Easier said than done. I would say, good Morning, Marines, if I couldn't think of anything else.
On the other side of the coin, if I were an officer and someone saluted me already, I would not stop them and ask why they did not verbally greet me, but this was probably done because of the others being there, I doubt a person by himself would have stopped someone and asked that question of Aloha or of anyone else.
I say that because a salute IS a greeting.
Exactly. They came out of nowhere.
Here I am, looking at how raggedy my cammies are with 4 years of constant wear (I only wear 2 sets, so they get nice and salty looking) I lift my head for a split second and theres this massive train wreck of shiny bars with red squares and rockers and silver and its just a miserable experience to be caught up in something like that. My salute wasn't even crisp, I sort of haphazardly raised my hand to my cover and walked silently.
Then the CWO spoke. #$!@^!$^
YourPhoneIsMine
05-08-11, 10:17 PM
yes, because gentlemen covers all the males in the group
or you could say gunnies :p
I don't think either one could really result in getting in real trouble. Someone might try to life you because such lifers are wont to be douchebags but like every other undeserved ass-chewing I would just nod, yes <rank> until he gets tired of knife handing then carry out the plan of the day knowing that someone who has the time and proclivity to complain about something like that probably isn't worth listening to in the first place.
reminds me of sgtmaj vines
AlohaMarine
05-08-11, 10:17 PM
That was pretty good, Willie. I know you and Aloha go back years. I only go back two or three.
He's actually not a bad guy. And is very smart. He could make it doing anything he put his mind to, but it's sad to think that he is going to get in his own way while pursuing other things after the Corps.
I wont get in my own way. I'll be the same as I am now. At least I hope so. I'm not going to come down hard on any college students, I just want to go to school and mind my own business.
Sort of like Robert Redford in The Last Castle...only without all that nonsense of overtaking the castle.
Technically, you would be saluting and greeting the senior officer in the group. The rest just bask in his reflected glory.
I've known to get that feeling when walking left and abreast of a captain or major. It feels like I'm somebody. :)
When walking with an Officer you walk on his left and stay in step with him. Rule of thumb is WHEN IN DOUBT, IF IT MOVES, SALUTE IT. IF IT DOES NOT MOVE, PAINT IT MARINE GREEN, GIVE IT A STOCK NUMBER AND GIVE IT TO SUPPLY.
You have never made me laugh until now. Now i know Gunny's aren't supposed to be funny but you can't take it back. You made a funny and I laughed. I got you, you old @#$^$@!!^.
Good Morning Gunnery Sgts, SSgt and keep it moving.
If officer present, Salute , Greeting and the rest above and still keep moving.
S/F,
CEYA!
martinj
05-09-11, 04:26 AM
reminds me of sgtmaj vines
...oh fvck don't get me started...
YourPhoneIsMine
05-09-11, 04:52 AM
...oh fvck don't get me started...
the daywalker lives
doc h fmf
05-09-11, 05:50 AM
I Dont Know If My 2cents Count But Isalutedand Said Morning Marines I Dont Know If It Was Because I Was A Corpsman Or What But I Never Got In Trouble For Doing That.
Semper Fi
Stephen Doc Hansen Hm3 Fmf
In the same situation, I would have saluted the most senior officer and said Good X Whatever rank was most senior. The rest of the gaggle would have accepted it since the enlisted didn't expect a salute and the more junior officers would have acknowledged the salute and not required any greeting.
One time when I was a lowly PFC, I was walking around Washington National Airport...now called Reagan I think. I was uncovered as expected. Suddenly around a corner came a group of foreign brass. Lots of decorations. They also had a number of American Army and Air Force types with them. I remember they were Asian and dressed in gray uniforms. All of them had their covers on. I figured it was better to salute than not salute so I saluted uncovered. And they all saluted back and walked on. Whew!
iamspartacus
05-09-11, 02:17 PM
I don't know if this is per the MCO on customs and courtesies, but this is what I would have said, "Good morning gentlemen. Good morning ma'am." The gentlemen part covered all the officers and enlisted males. The ma'am obviously covered the female gunny. If the enlisted Marines were offended by me calling them sir and ma'am, well they can get over it. I showed them respect. Surely they can understand it's hard to count how many rockers they have sometimes. I say it's always better to at least show you're putting forth effort to give them the proper respect (even if it isn't within MCO) than not say anything and completely gaff them off.
I also like what someone previously suggested by simply saying, "Good morning Marines." How can you go wrong with that? What Marine would be offended by being called "Marine"!?
EGA1957
05-09-11, 02:18 PM
Speaking of running away, and I was just kidding, people do sometimes run away to avoid what they consider unpleasant things.
At U.S. Naval Communications Training Center in Pensacola, Fla in 1964, they had a recording that played and people would actually run to avoid standing and saluting---you could hear the static that preceded the recorded bugle call, and students would actually run across grass and sidewalks trying to get indoors just to avoid a simple salute while the call was being sounded. A simple raising and lowering of the flag------Sort of on topic, an instance of people going out of their way to not do the right thing at the right time.
So Aloha saluted, that was good. As I said, I never would have stopped someone and asked him why the absence of a verbal greeting.
This brought to mind that I was with the color guard (with field music) to raise the Base main flag.
It was a cold day so the bugler practiced in the ready room (he did a few bars of Cherry Pink and Apple Blossom White several times) to make sure his lips were limber.
They were. Only problem was the first few notes were "Cherry Pink...!"
YourPhoneIsMine
05-09-11, 02:59 PM
I also like what someone previously suggested by simply saying, "Good morning Marines." How can you go wrong with that? What Marine would be offended by being called "Marine"!?
exactly. it sounds crazy but there are indeed senior SNCOs out there who will take offend to being referred as such by a lance corporal, as if calling a group of Marines "Marines" is a sign of being a superior
****, I dunno. even sending a simple email to the squadron address "Good morning, Marines" got words thrown my way. wtf.
Sgt Leprechaun
05-10-11, 12:33 AM
Phone is right but that is the greeting I would have used....and still do in my interactions with clusters like this. Of course I'm old, retired, and look cranky so nobody really says much, if anything. And yes, I still deal with gaggles of Marines like this, once or twice a month.
Closing this one for the good of the order, I think it's run it's natural course.