| How to Address a Retired Officer,United States Armed ServiceRetired active duty officers may continue to use their ranks; circumstances will determine continued use of ranks by retired reserve officers. The service designation is used in official situations, but whether it is included or omitted is often determined by the circumstances and the need for clarity.Envelope, official: (Full rank) (full name), USA/USAF/USMC , Retired (Address) or (Full rank) (full name), USA/USAF/USMC , Ret. (Address) or (Full rank) (full name), USN/USCG, Retired (Address) or (Full rank) (full name), USN/USCG, Ret. (Address) So, for example, that would like .... Captain Robert W. Thompson, USN, Retired (Address) Envelope, Social: (Full rank) (full name) (Address) So, for example, that would like .... Captain Robert W. Thompson (Address) Letter salutation: Dear (basic rank) (surname):How to Address a Retired Military Officer?Link to Q&A just on Retired Military Officers FYI, here is what's come in to the Blog that relates to this office/rank. For recent questions sent in, check out Robert Hickey's Blog. For specific offices/ranks, check out Robert Hickey's On-Line Guide. Can a Retired Officer Use His or Her Rank When Working as a Federal Civil Servant ? A fellow officer and I are having a gentleman’s disagreement about using a rank and retired designation in a signature block when hired as a federal civil servant. Although the USPHS is one of the uniformed services of the United States, we are not military under DoD, but rather HHS. That aside, in reading the FAQs and another statement on Military.Com, there seems to be a prohibition against using the rank and retired designation in my signature block. It appears however that it’s an interpretation based on giving an appearance or causing confusion and not a specific prohibition in the statute. I think my signature block is clear that I am retired and I have listed my position. Can you comment? The example you cite (on your site) is a civilian employee of a defense contractor which is not quite the same as a civilian civil service employee. I enjoyed reading your information! **-- Kevin Christopher, MS, FASHP CAPT USPHS, Ret. Department Chief @ The National Institutes of Health**Dear Mr. Christopher: I recently got a note from a retired USN nurse, now raising funds for a hospital, whose committee chair wanted her sign fund raising letters with her former rank, branch of service, and retired status. The colleague was not asking her to pretend to be on active duty -- he just felt it would make her pitch for support more persuasive I guess. When I speak to military protocol officers, they say it's never a conflict for a retired officer to use his or her rank socially. But they maintain that in any post-retirement position ... one's former rank is not pertinent ... except in a way the DoD guidelines attempt to prohibit: gaining some edge due anyone's assumption that the former officer has some residual heft in authority due to his or her former rank. -- Robert HickeyRobert, Is there a specific prohibition for a retired officer who is also a federal civil servant to use the retired designation or is it just an interpretation related to potential confusion and/or commercialization? -- KevinDear Kevin, I know of no regulation specifically worded to direct the use of ranks and ratings by retired personnel as federal civil servants. However it's a topic that comes up a lot around DC. After years of hearing it discussed I find protocol officers interpret it JER. para 2-304 to forbid anything except but purely social use, and feel that any subsequent work-related use of rank is inappropriate. -- RobertHow to Address a Retired Military Officer & Spouse?Dear Mr. Hickey:Where in your book do you cover how I address should an envelope to a retired Lt. Col. in the Air Force and his wife? _--- Living near the Base_Dear Living near the Base:Use the forms I show under Joint Forms of Address, Members of the Armed Services on page 147. Formal forms for an "official" envelope would be: Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Thompson, USAF, Retired and Mrs. Thompson Address Formal forms for a "social" envelope would be: Lieutenant Colonel Robert W. Thompson and Mrs. Thompson Address Or: Lt Col Robert W. Thompson and Mrs. Thompson Address 1) Lt Col -- capitalized, spaced, and without periods as shown -- is the USAF-specific form of the abbreviation for a Lieutenant Colonel2) 'Retired" would not be required for a social envelope. It would be on an official envelope. If you are addressing an invitation to a military event at which there will be active duty officers, you should use "...Thompson, USAF Retired" or "...Thompson, USAF Ret." 3) Spelling out the rank is always the most formal, But in the armed services, they do use the service-specific abbreviations.4) The most formal way to write an official person's name is to not break up the rank and the name ... hence Mrs. Thompson is on the next line -- not between his rank and his name.5) The abbreviation with the periods is a "social form" which the military protocol officers do not like ... but if you look in "social etiquette books" .... you will see it. All that said about the 'rules' -- less formally you will certainly see on a holiday card addressed using the informal format of "Mr. and Mrs." Lt. Col. and Mrs. Robert W. Thompson -- Robert Hickey All information on www.formsofaddress.info is copyright © 2011 by Robert Hickey.The Protocol School of Washington® is registered in the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office.Honor & Respect is dedicated to Dorothea Johnson, Founder of The Protocol School of Washington® |
