Sir and Ma'am. Or, you refer to them by their rank, as in "Greetings, Colonels Smith."
The salutation for a retired General is "General". A retired general can also be addressed in a letter thus: General W. Smith (ret):
His honor or Your honor is the proper salutation for a retired judge. The use of the word judge in title and introductions is not used after retirement.
The Salutation itself would not actually change once the officer has retired, it would still be rank, and name, such as 'Chief smith'.
You would address a retired Rear Admiral as "Rear Admiral (Retired) [Full Name]" on the envelope and in the salutation of the letter.
Retired or not, the proper formal salutation should read: Honorable Walter K Smith Dear Sir:
You can greet a judge by calling him or her a judge. You can also call them Mr. or Mrs.
Many people will call him Senator as a mark of respect. In writing he could be referred to the Honorable xxxx or former Senator xxxx.
The title "Captain", or the abbreviation CAPT would be appropriate. The salutation in a letter might read "Dear Sir" or "Dear CAPT Smith". When a politician or military officer retires, he's allowed to use the form of address of the highest rank held.
Proper usage would be Captain Joseph Brown NJSP, RET.3F7cz
How to address an envelope to a Retired Army Col and his wife.
She is married to Ron Frisco. They got married after Trish retired
The proper salutation for a retired sheriff can vary based on personal preference, but a respectful option is "Sheriff [Last Name]." If the individual holds or prefers to be addressed by their title even in retirement, you may use "Sheriff" followed by their last name in formal contexts. In less formal situations, "Mr./Ms. [Last Name]" is also appropriate.