Ma'am is a respectful form of address
But let's not worry about the actual problem, let's worry about our position first. Never mind that the General (you didn't call him "General" despite how hard he worked to get there) was respectful, only worry that he didn't refer to your "lofty" position as a representative of the people. Oh, wait, you don't care about the representative part, only the title... Sorry, my bad...
For us, the American ideal is personified in the concept of self-reliance, work ethic, honesty/forthrightness, decency, personal property rights, family, religion, an ability to defend oneself from criminals and crooked politicians, and personal responsibility.
