Explain the rules, regs, protocols, etc. of saluting in the US armed forces

Putting this in GQ, because I assume these are not matters of opinion. And I’m talking about the US armed forces, but comments re foreign armed forces of interest, too.

Who salutes whom? Who doesn’t?
Does a uniformed military person ever salute a civilian? Under what circumstances?
Who salutes first?
Acknowledging a salute without returning it–is this done?
One or both parties seated/standing?
One or both parties in uniform/plain clothes?
One or both parties wearing a hat/bareheaded?
Inside/outside a building, vehicle, or other enclosed space (e.g., tent, funeral canopy, something with a roof)?
Saluting or being saluted by a group?

Other stuff I can’t think of right now.

Each branch of the military is a little different. I can speak to the U.S. Navy. All of the following is from memory…but it’s pretty easy to look up the exact regulations online.

In the U.S. Navy, the basic rule is that salutes are exchanged when you are wearing a cover (i.e. a hat), and when at least one of the people is a commissioned officer. (Two enlisted sailors do not exchange salutes.)

Covers are required to be worn outside and at any time (inside or out) when bearing arms. “Bearing arms” is fairly rare: examples include people on guard duty, or sometimes those in a parade, formation, or ceremony. The commander of a group in formation salutes for the group.

In an exchange of salutes, the junior person initiates the exchange by saluting the senior person. The senior person returns the salute. Salutes for both are obligatory and are not optional. Salutes are accompanied by a greeting.

If the junior person is out of uniform, they will not salute. If a more junior person in uniform sees a more senior person out of uniform and recognizes them as a senior officer, they should salute them. Being out of uniform, the more senior person will acknowledge the salute (perhaps with a nod and a greeting), but will not typically return it, unless the failure to do so would cause embarrassment or awkwardness.

I’m pretty sure that they are not required to be covered in the U.S. Army to exchange salutes, but maybe that is only when reporting to a senior officer.

Note that salutes are also exchanged between branches, and to foreign allied military officers as well.

The only civilian I know who is saluted is the Commander-in-Chief (i.e. the President). Not sure about service secretaries (e.g. Secretary of Defense).

Service members also salute the U.S. Flag, and when the National Anthem is played.

Like** robby** mine is from memory but Army 35 years ago. Essentially the same. He is correct about Army saluting indoors while uncovered if reporting to a superior officer. When driving onto post the MPs would salute if there was an officer sticker on the car. I always returned the salute even when not in uniform.

Also: superior *civilian *officials (e.g. President) are *not *required to return the salute, that is an affectation dating from the Reagan era in its latest incarnation.
In some locations, the local command will decree a no-cover or no-salute zone in what would normally be considered “outdoors”, in order to minimize work/traffic interruption (and in a battle zone, you don’t salute, to minimize sniper targeting).

Who salutes whom? Who doesn’t?
Salute rendered:
-to Superior Officers of US Military and Friendly Foreign Nations
-to Superior Officers with the commissioned corps of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the commissioned corps of the Public health Service
-When reporting (When reporting to boards–such as a promotion board-- this involves an enlisted member saluting another enlisted)
-When passing the colors, or when the colors pass

  • to the National Flag during Reveille and Retreat and the playing of the National Anthem
    -to the President of the United States (Only civilian who is entitled to a salute. The President is not obliged to return the salute)

A salute is not required when either person is not in uniform, or when carrying items in the hand, or when otherwise not appropriate. Saluting indoors is only done when reporting. Saluting while no headgear is worn is allowed in the Army. For instance, in a PT uniform without headgear, soldiers salute. Salutes are not required when riding in a vehicle, but if on foot salutes should be rendered to passing official cars of superior officers with identifying plates or flags.

Does a uniformed military person ever salute a civilian? Under what circumstances?
Only the President of the United States is entitled to a salute. Civilian personnel, to include civilian guards, are not required to render the hand salute to military personnel or other civilian personnel.

Who salutes first?
The junior person salutes first, accompanying the salute with an appropriate greeting, such as “Good Morning, Sir” or a unit motto.

Acknowledging a salute without returning it–is this done?
If the person is unable to return the salute for a reason stated above, then yes. But these cases are rare, because if the senior person had his/her hands full, the junior person would not be required to initiate a salute. In that case, just an appropriate greeting would suffice. However, it’s possible the junior person didn’t notice the senior’s hands were full.

One or both parties seated/standing?
A salute is never initiated by someone sitting. A salute is really only returned by a sitting person when a subordinate is reporting. But it’s also possible that a superior was riding in his/her car and decided to return a salute from someone on the sidewalk who recognized the vehicle. In that case, the person would be sitting in the car and saluting. So that’s okay too. In all other cases, salutes are rendered and returned from a standing position. If a person is sitting on a curb and a superior officer walks by, that person stands at attention and initiates the salute.

One or both parties in uniform/plain clothes?
Only required when both are in uniform.

One or both parties wearing a hat/bareheaded?
Assuming they are both in uniform, the hat is irrelevant. One could be in PTs with no hat and the other in ACUs with a hat.

Inside/outside a building,
With the exception of reporting and certain ceremonies, saluting is not done inside a building. Outside only.

vehicle

other enclosed space (e.g., tent, funeral canopy, something with a roof)?
A roof is irrelevant. Just a roof, or maybe a roof and 2-3 walls is still not “indoors”.

Saluting or being saluted by a group?
How close together are they?
Other stuff I can’t think of right now.

Note: Despite recent folklore suggesting otherwise, these rules are not different for recipients of the Medal of Honor.

A note about “reporting.” That doesn’t mean anytime you have to go see an officer. It’s usually a very formal occasion such as a promotion board or when you’re in a lot of trouble. When someone tells you “Hey the captain needs to see you about something” most likely you don’t have to report formally. When the First Sergeant grabs you and says “Report to the Commanding Officer” you do. And you better know how to do it properly.

I’m old enough to have witnessed a relic from the past. Another example of required saluting, reporting for pay. When I joined we were already required to have direct deposit but in my first unit there was still a pay officer. It was a rotating duty amongst officers once a month. They got a pay box full of cash and an armed escort. This was in Germany so he had both dollars and marks. Most of us used it to get some marks at a good rate. Pay day was special. You worked half the day and then the pay officer showed up. You got in line and waited your turn. When you approached the desk you had to come to attention, salute, and say “Private Loach reporting for pay sir.” Then you would receive the money and move out. The rest of the day would be paid day activities, basically you got the rest of the day off. My next unit did not have a pay officer and I never saw it again.

This for the Marine Corps as well. For obvious reasons.

<sigh> Progress. :frowning:

Boy, some TV shows really get this stuff all wrong a lot of the time, don’t they?

Thanks for the info. Ignorance mightily fought. I salute y’all! (Only if it’s appropriate.) :slight_smile:

Not as badly as they screw up other things. I find the two simplest things that Hollywood still can’t figure out is the beret and the Mandarin collar.

I seem to recall that certain specific designated locations exist where no salutes are required. The central open courtyard of the Pentagon was mentioned as an example. Lt. Bumfry could sitting down on his break and enjoying the sunshine when Maj. Blowhard marched right past and no salutes are expected. Could this be true?

Yes. There are places that have signs up that say “No salute area.” Usually break areas or high traffic walk ways between buildings.

One instance In which all the rules appear broken IS a medal of Honor.
It is not required, there are no official rules, but you are allowed to salute anyone wearing it, anytime, regardless of rank according to congressional medal of Honor society and I seriously doubt anyone would give you crap about it. Though this occasion happened only once for me and it is quite likely you could go a whole career without it ever happening.

Not sure this was covered but the junior initiates then holds the salute , the senior returns it and the junior only drops it after the senior does.

Yes Hollywood screws it up all the time often even involving NCOs and not officers.

Depending on where you are the SOP will often call a roof and 3 walls indoors. Seemingly most often applied at the firing range shelters.

In an episode of The Dick van Dyke Show, there is a scene where Rob Petrie is in the Army and is chided by a superior officer for not holding his salute until it was returned (he had mistaken a head scratch for a salute). Then later in this amusing scene, he salutes but the officer doesn’t see the salute and dismisses him. He walks away uncertainly, still holding the salute, until after exiting the building he finally he gets the officer’s attention through the window. If this happened in real life, is the superior technically at fault for not noticing the salute and returning it?

I hope enough serious answers have been posted to allow a bit of lowbrow humor.
Many moons ago I was told that the rule in the US Navy was:

  • If it moves, salute it.
  • If it doesn’t move, pick it up.
  • If you can’t pick it up, paint it.
  • If you can’t paint it, fuck it.

Reminds me of when my father was stationed in Sierra Leone back in the 40s/50s. He had to supervise paying the native soldiers each week and sometimes I (as a small boy) went along.

A table was set up outside with two chairs; one for a sergeant who actually handled the money and one for the lieutenant from the pay office. The men would be lined up and each one called in turn; he would march forward and salute, then he would be told how much pay he was getting, less any deductions. The cash was counted into his left hand and he made his mark and a thumbprint as a receipt. About turn and march back into line.

I didn’t see this mentioned, but perhaps I missed it.

An enlisted man (or junior officer to senior officer) initiates the salute (this was covered). The officer returns the salute, but the enlisted or junior man cannot drop his salute until the officer drops his.

On a Marine base, enlisted folks are required (or used to be required) to salute cars with an officer’s sticker on it, regardless of who is in it.

Don’t know how dated this is, but it should still be interesting.

Absolutely fascinating! Thank you so much for that! I love the friendly, patronizing tone of it. It’s sort of, “Hey, Bubba, do it this way to avoid coming off as a complete doofus.”

These are my faves:

*“Remember to salute officers of friendly nations. The salute for officers of UNfriendly nations is slightly different and involves fewer fingers.”

“We do NOT salute flags carried by little boys in suspenders. Or flags billowing from the back of Harleys ridden by vicious biker gangs, or flags painted on the hoods of muscle cars or on the sides of custom vans. Or flags at auto dealerships, even though they may be the largest flags in the world. No saluting those flags!”

“That’s right, greet your lady friends with a salute! They’ll think it’s charming! Or weird. Probably weird.”*

:smiley:
I remember a Beetle Bailey comic where someone explained to Beetle that he wasn’t saluting the man but saluting the uniform. You guessed it: the next panel showed him at the laundry saluting every uniform that came around on the moving rack. :slight_smile:

Technically there would not have been any saluting inside the building , so no.
If it was all outside then yes. In a teasing manner I’ve seen people do things like space out and try to make an officer return salutes as many times as possible, or purposely try to catch them every time they have a coffee in their right hand but aren’t carrying anything else.