Tom, I wasn't meaning necessarily in skills but in rank, it does seem a total dumbing down, as an SAC if you were detached to a Luftwaffe station you would be expected to dine in the conscripts restaurant and I use the last word with a pinch of salt, hence everyone would be given SGT stripes to wear for the duration. It seems to have done the replacement for a JT a disservice in effect demoting the trade qualification.
I believe an officer salutes any rank who holds the VC first and he acknowledges it.