This whole situation is bullshit. I've told full bird Colonels that their collar was flipped up or that a patch was messed up, but I did it quietly (sts) and without fanfare. I'm not looking for credit. I'm not looking to call him out. I'm just helping out a "bro" so he looks like he should in uniform. I did so respectfully.
THIS kind of stuff NEEDS to be addressed at an officer level IMMEDIATELY when something like this happens. Don't let an NCO shoeclerk be disrespectful. I realize you were in PT gear, but a simple, "Staff Sergeant, making uniform corrections is certainly within your purview as you've likely been directed to pull this duty, but so is common decency and respect for your fellow airman. 'Hey!' is not appropriate, especially when you have no CLUE what rank of person you are addressing. 'Excuse me' would be FAR more apropos and a 'please' thrown in would certainly help matters. Instead of calling people out publicly on simple nitnoid stuff, perhaps you can be polite and criticize in private?"
That said, at the end of a 16+ hour day (without Dex), I'm not sure I wouldn't have muttered something and went along my merry way.
[/Monday morning quarterbacking]