Ranking females in the Canadian Army...

[Mhorydyn]

What exactly is the proper way to address a ranking female in the Canadian Army? Sir, ma'am, or something other?

 

[pbi]

If they are above you in rank, I suggest you use their rank up to Sgt/PO2, then "Ma'am" for WOs and commissioned ranks. If they are subordinate to you, then just as you would a male.

Cheers

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

To add slightly and pbi might not know this but WO's don't like being addressed as sir even though you would be correct. CSM and up is a different story however.

 

[big_johnson1]

We got warned about calling the SSM on my PLQ "Ma'am".. Apparently she freaked on the course senior when he did so. She preferred "Master Warrant Officer"..

 

[pbi]

Why would an Army Sgt Maj want to be called "Master Warrant Officer" instead of "Sgt Major"?

Cheers

 

[big bad john]

Temporary insanity would be my opinion...

 

[big_johnson1]

You can ask her, I'm happy to say that the closet I got to her was when she was yelling at the course one day and I was sitting in the third row   There were a few of us who were lucky enough to have course senior duty when she was off somewhere for a week.

 

[George Wallace]

You were in the Closet with her?

 

[Scoobie Newbie]

hehehe

 

[pbi]

You were in the Closet with her?

MUD WRESTLING!!  MUD WRESTLING!! (Pictures at 11)

Cheers

 

[Michael Dorosh]

Okay, so one male officer is addressed as sir, and several are correctly addressed as "gentlemen" (NOT, apparently, as "sirs")

What is a group of female officers addressed as?  Would it be too simple to think they are "ladies"?

 

[pbi]

Yes, and I saw a fine example of this once.

3 PPCLI was formed up in line on the street behind the BC Legislature in Victoria for a ceremonial parade. The Colours were on, and we were getting ready to go. Just at that moment, two young female Naval SubLts went tittering and giggling along the frontage of the battalion, right past the Colours without noticing them. I could see the CO's head swivelling like a gun turret as he watched them go past. Then he boomed out:

"You two ladies get back here and salute my Colours, now!"

So, I think it's "ladies".

Cheers.

 

[garb811]

Why would an Army Sgt Maj want to be called "Master Warrant Officer" instead of "Sgt Major"?

Cheers

 

[bossi]

What exactly is the proper way to address a ranking female in the Canadian Army? Sir, ma'am, or something other?

Hmmm ... don'tcha just hate it when they cancel a perfectly good QR&O or CFAO ... ?
(and then they don't provide a link to the new thing-a-ma-bob ... grrr ...)
No wonder we waste so much time debating/discussing supposedly simple things ...

CFAO 3-5, FORMS OF ADDRESS
Cancelled - Change 5/00
Replaced by: A-AD-200-000/AG-000, The Honours, Flags and Heritage Structure of the Canadian Forces

P.S. (oh, I just love this ... it gets even better ... shades of "Mordac" ... heaven forbid that any soldier, officer or non-union member should ever try to do some research at home ...)

http://www.forces.gc.ca/hr/dhh/publications/engraph/online_e.asp?cat=6
Question
Where on the DIN or on the D-NET can I find the Canadian Forces Publications produced by DHH (ie Dress, Drill/Ceremonial/Lineage, etc)?

Answer
Canadian Forces Publications (CFPs) are CF manuals for internal consumption only and are not authorized for electronic posting on the INTERNET. You may request a copy by writing to Director Technical Information and Codification Services (DTICS) 5, 2140 Thurston Drive, 3rd Floor, K1A 0K2, Ottawa, ON, Canada. For DIN users, follow the links under PUBLICATIONS to CFPs (DHH DIN site).

Thank goodness we still have access to QR&O's and CFAO's ...
http://www.forces.gc.ca/admfincs/subjects/qr_o/intro_e.asp

Mordac - a.k.a. "The Preventer Of Knowledge" - He's the evil-hearted director of Information Services for Dilbert's company. He believes his mission is to make it as difficult as possible for employees to use their computers or the network.

 

[pbi]

Were you making a comment by silence, or did you forget to insert text?

Cheers

 

[garb811]

My apologies, technical glitch, somehow the system stripped out my text.   What should have been there was:

Was she Army or Air Force?   Also, even if she was Green, if she was one of us purple trades, my unfortunate experience has been some prefer the "Air Force way" even when they're serving in the Army and do anything and everything to avoid being too soldierly.   What I find more distasteful however is those who use the title when they have no right to do so.

 

[AmmoTech90]

To add slightly and pbi might not know this but WO's don't like being addressed as sir even though you would be correct. CSM and up is a different story however.

Actually that is incorrect.  The only "warrent officer" rank that may be called sir is the rank of Chief Warrent Officer/Chief Petty Officer 1st Class.  All other non-commissioned ranks may be addressed by rank, rank and surname, or by appointment.  And all army MWO's are not Sgt Maj.

Taken from the pub that Mordac hid...

 

[pbi]

Actually that is incorrect.   The only "warrent officer" rank that may be called sir is the rank of Chief Warrent Officer/Chief Petty Officer 1st Class.   All other non-commissioned ranks may be addressed by rank, rank and surname, or by appointment.   And all army MWO's are not Sgt Maj.

Taken from the pub that Mordac hid...

I have spent a few years in Inf battalions and I can assure you that the CSMs and the QMSI are most definitely called "sir"   by the people below them. And, yes, you're right: all Army MWOs are not Sgts Maj: that wasn't my point. My point was that the person in the post was identified as "SSM" which to me means   "Squadron Sgt Maj". Now, most Sgts Maj that I have had the pleasure to know are quite proud of their appointment title and don't really want to be called "MWO".

Cheers.

 

[Michael Dorosh]

I wouldn't dream of not calling a CSM "sir".  Unless he was a "ma'am" of course.

I remember in Borden when a fellow from Newfoundland kept referring to MWOs as "Em Double-U Oh" so and so.  Struck me as very odd.  Sort of like the overly familiar "El-Tee" you see in Vietnam movies.

 

[big_johnson1]

You were in the Closet with her?

I won't even edit that post to get rid of my shame. Lesson: never trust the spellchecker or your own ability to spell correctly.

As for the MWO, she was air force, and when I said SSM, I meant the School Sgt Major, which might not be the proper way to address someone but that was her title when she was introduced to us at the beginning of the course.