Practice the following courtesies at all times. You must extend courtesies to everyone whether they are enlisted, officer or civilian:
Render a verbal greeting to all permanent party personnel when passing them. For example, say, “Good morning Ma’am/Sir” or “Good afternoon Sir/Ma’am”
When practical, say, “please” and “thank you”
Always try to be on time. If you are going to be late, call and let the person know ahead of time. Try not to keep people waiting
Use appropriate titles such as “Mr.” or “Ms.” when addressing civilians
Do not gossip. The morale of any unit may suffer due to conflicts and bad feelings that arise from gossip
Conduct yourself in a professional manner in your work center. Do not lean or sit on your desk, lean back in your chair or put your feet up on your desk
Always give the senior person (enlisted or commissioned) the position of honor when walking, riding or sitting with them. Therefore, if accompanying an individual senior to you, take the position to the senior person’s left
Military personnel enter automobiles in reverse order of rank. Junior personnel enter a vehicle first and take the appropriate seat on the senior person’s left. The senior person will be the last to enter and first to leave
Unless told otherwise, rise and stand at the position of attention when a senior officer enters a room
- If more than one person is present, the person who first sees the officer calls the group to the position of attention
- Do not call the room to the position of attention, if an officer of equal or higher rank than the officer entering the room is already in the room
- When an officer departs, call the room to the position of attention unless an officer of equal or higher rank remains in the room
- If you are alone, do not call the room to the position of attention; however, you must stand at the position of attention
Telephone etiquette
- When answering military telephones, speak clearly and use the proper military courtesies
- Tell the person calling your rank, name, unit and ask them, “May I help you?”
If the individual the caller wishes to speak to is not available offer to take a - written message addressed to the person with the caller’s name, number, organization and message; time and date of the call; and your rank and name
- Do not be afraid to ask the person calling to repeat the message, if need be