Quote Originally Posted by Ken White View Post
Having spent a great deal of time in line units and having been called by rank as well as by first, last and unprintable names by Officers ranging from 2LT to BG I'd be inclined to say it depends on the unit and the people -- as well as the circumstances; level or intensity of combat can make a difference. I do not see it as 'unprofessional' (whatever that means) at all. You have to know your people and I can truthfully say that neither any Officer that called me by my first name nor I ever forgot who I was or who they were.

I suspect part of it is a self confidence thing. I think it interesting that you posit it may be acceptable in SF or Force Recon but not in line units. Seems to me it either would be okay or it wouldn't. Fire a few inert rounds and give a good line unit the extra training SF or Recon get and you'd get similar performance capability..
Some find it acceptable to call SNCOs or senior sergeants by first name. I'd be ok doing it outside of a "work" environment. My closest friend from my lieutenant time is my old platoon sergeant - I just spent a week at his house in the Netherlands back in May. Certainly a lot of older officers (captain and above) are on first-name basis with their senior enlisted advisors during off-duty hours. Nothing wrong with that either. They don't do it in front of the junior Marines, though.

I'm not saying it was unrealistic; I'm sure it does happen in Recon, and Nate Fick may have been on a first name basis with Sgt Colbert, but it seemed out of place to me. The fact that I noticed it at all, however, goes to show how accurate the rest of it is.