As I now live in the US, I have come to realise that this is an everyday occurrence. These guys travel in military uniform (on military orders) on civil flights to reach their point of departure to oversee deployments and are treated with the upmost respect by everyone in the airport. After being asked by my wife "is this how your guys are treated in the UK?" I felt ashamed to explain that they had to change into civvies on the ramp before being allowed into the terminal.