Introductions to alien cultures: How to live in the world of the U.S. military

Retired Marine Col. Gary Anderson, who has appeared in all three of my non-fiction books, has a good piece in Small Wars Journal aimed at helping civilians who work with the U.S. military to understand it.

It reminded me a bit of a rule I developed when writing about embedded units: Try to get away from the unit when actually writing long stories, to achieve a bit of psychological and intellectual distance.

Gary’s bottom line: They don’t bite, but they do shoot. Sample cultural lesson:

There are some things to remember in your personal dealings with military members. First, make an effort to learn their rank structure. Each service has its own structure, and although Army and Marine ranks are similar, there are subtle differences that can cause embarrassment. A few rules of the road are in order. If you call a Marine master sergeant "top", he will probably remind you that a top is something that spins around a room. Likewise in both the Army and Marine Corps, the term "sarge" went out of fashion long ago. You may hear Marines refer to their captains as "skipper", but an Army captain will look at you strangely if you call him that. The best rule of thumb is to listen to what they call each other when they are being formal and stick with that until you feel comfortable doing otherwise.

The best practice is to start by addressing them by their full rank. Officers you work with may ask you to use their first name, but only do that when you are in a semi private setting. When around their peers or their superiors, use their rank. It is always best to address the enlisted personnel by their rank, particularly if they are assigned to work for you. You will be treated as an officer and will be expected to act like one.