Vulcan Lover and HD;
You are correct, but I'm sure that if it was the other way round then plenty experienced civvy ATCO's would have the same attitude.
Part of the make up of an ATCO I think. You need to be a bit self assured to do the job well, and some people just can't reign themselves in and realise that the past experience is a bonus but nothing to harp on about. Just keep your head down, listen and you will learn something new, and your previous experience will shine through when it comes to real controlling and thinking on your feet.
As LookingForaJob says, the skills of a civvy ATCO do not mean they could just walk into a mil job. The nature of the flying etc means different set of problems and priorities. I seem to remember something in JSP 318 about controlling in the mil and one of the quotes was about the high likelihood of emergencies due to the way the aircraft are operated.
Both sets of controllers have their strong pints, but although ATC is ultimately about keeping aircraft apart, the job differs. I think that a good, level headed ex mil ATCO can enhance the course for fellow coursemates.
IMHO that's what used to be so good about NATS courses - you seemed to get a real mix of people on course a few years ago - and all their experiences, either as controllers or just in life, made the whole course more rounded