It is a never ending circle which begins by thanking those who came before and those who came after. Don't call me "Sir;" I was a NCO.
"Sir" in this case is a show of respect. Sir, was the title of a Knight, and put him in line of Succession. If all men of higher rank died off, he became king. To be made a Knight, was to become part of the Royal family. And as Knights were the protectors of the common folk and lead in battle....the title fits....Sir.
I was joking with you. When in Basic Training, the trainees say "Yes, Drill Sergeant, Sir" or some variation thereof. Calling an NCO "Sir" is similar to saluting an officer in combat.
I know, I respect the military (past and present). They man the walls so we can sleep through the night.
Navy boot, CC's are "SIR" even if only E6. After graduation, not. The idea is that an E2 is the lowest of the low, and to respect all those senior.
Usually it's the jackass officers that earn salutes in combat.....though there's rarely a sniper around when one is needed. Regimental Sergeants Major are entitled to be addressed as Mr....though few if any officers ever would dare to...except perhaps the CO...and even then at his own risk...most RSM's would say...Don't call me Mister....I'm not a f***ing subaltern!!!
Warrant Officers are called Mr. I spent a night in a repo unit's barracks. When I walked in, they yelled attention and I thought an officer was following me so I complied. OCS types, never yell "sh*t" or they will.
