# Is Saluting required in all the World's major militaries? Any exceptions? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 13, 2016, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828 "2016-03-13T03:00:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/21 "2016-03-15T01:15:49Z")
> [@Mops](#): > > It seems China’s People’s Liberation Army had no ranks before 1955, and then again from 1965-1988. (I suppose that meant that soldiers had superiors in their chain of command but not superiors in rank). I wonder if saluting as generally known was practiced at these times. There were/are probably other military forces of entities professing strict egalitarianism. Interesting. How did unranked military systems work on a practical basis? Was there a way to figure out the relative importance of a specific soldier (e.g. Soldier X is a nobody who has to obey orders from everyone and nobody needs to obey his “orders”, while Soldier Y is really really important and you’d better obey him or else…something, despite the fact that he doesn’t outrank you), or were things truly done on a democratic or consensus basis? E.g. if I was a soldier in an unranked army and another unranked soldier came up to me and told me to go out on patrol, how would I know whether to do it immediately or whether I could tell him to go pound sand or at least try to negotiate something out of him in exchange? ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 9:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/22 "2016-03-15T09:53:38Z")
They had positions and appointments rather than ranks. Company Commander Battalion Commander Brigade Commander Most ranks were once positions anyway. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/23 "2016-03-15T10:58:53Z")
…and it’s not like in ranked armies random officers may just come up to any troops around and order whatever is on their minds. Comrade Footsoldier would know who is who in his own immediate chain of command and his orders would come through them. Of course Comrade Yu the company commander suddenly not being around any more, replaced by Comrade Wei who yesterday was a ditchdigger and two years ago was a Division Adjutant, was ptobably more common than in other armies but that’s another story… ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 11:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/24 "2016-03-15T11:39:56Z")
> [@psychonaut](#): > > That’s not your average British soldier; that’s Harry, the younger son of the heir apparent. Whether or not this status has any bearing on how he salutes, I’m not sure. Harry is saluting palm out because he is in the army. The man next to him is presumably Navy, they salute palm down. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/25 "2016-03-15T15:41:40Z")
> [@Richard\_Pearse](#): > > Harry is saluting palm out because he is in the army. The man next to him is presumably Navy, they salute palm down. Actually, the man at Harry’s left is a US Army officer (some grade of general, from the hat and sleeve braid and lapel pins) and all the US services use the palm down salute. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 3:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/26 "2016-03-15T15:49:04Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > He is not the heir apparent of the heir apparent. That would be his older brother. So he’s the spare for the heir of the heir apparent? ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2016, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/27 "2016-03-15T16:01:14Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > So he’s the spare for the heir of the heir apparent? 🙂 He used to be anyway. Now the heir has a heir so he’s the spare. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 5:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/28 "2016-03-16T05:28:07Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > So he’s the spare for the heir of the heir apparent? > [@hajario](#): > > 🙂 > > He used to be anyway. Now the heir has a heir so he’s the spare. Harry is the heir to the spare of the heir of the heir of the heir now. Edward’s children’s unofficial title is probably “chopped liver”. ---
**Author:** ![Ranger\_Jeff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranger_jeff/32/2065_2.png) [@Ranger\_Jeff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranger_Jeff)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/29 "2016-03-16T05:47:22Z")
When I was stationed there, Governor’s Island was the largest base the U.S. Coast Guard had. Over 6,000 Coasties were stationed there. The senior officer there was a Vice Admiral who was the Atlantic Area Commander. And the 3rd District Commander. And the Base Commander. And there were several schools, a Support center, homeport for several High Endurance Cutters, etc. That all being said, although required, nobody seemed to like salutes in non formal situations. There seemed to be an unwritten rule that you didn’t have to salute an officer on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. The coffee mess for the staff and students of my school (at least the ones on the first deck) was in the office I shared with the rest of the instructors in my section. One afternoon after lunch, our Warrant Officer (School Chief) came in for some coffee and to piss and moan a bit. It seemed his timing to leave for lunch was off that day, or he went to lunch somewhere different, and his complaint was about having to return the salutes of so many enlisted men. Which, after a moment’s thought, I understood. Then he went on to comment that some enlisted men can say “sir” like it was the dirtiest insult they could say. I couldn’t help myself, and replied “What do you mean by that … SIR!” And there was the time I was approaching our building and my previous Warrant Officer had stepped out for some reason. It was pretty apparent to both of us that sooner or later I’d get close enough that exchanging salutes couldn’t be avoided. Wise man that he was, he defused the potentially uncomfortable situation by turning around and heading back into the building. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 6:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/30 "2016-03-16T06:40:16Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > Actually, the man at Harry’s left is a US Army officer (some grade of general, from the hat and sleeve braid and lapel pins) and all the US services use the palm down salute. Makes sense, thanks. ---
**Author:** ![Crazier\_Catlady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Crazier\_Catlady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crazier_Catlady)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 11:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/31 "2016-03-16T11:10:34Z")
On a slightly different note: there is a Dutch medal for bravery under fire, the Willemsorde, which is given really, really rarely, as in once in a blue moon. The recipients of the order no longer have to salute their superiors, their superiors have to salute them instead. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 8:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/32 "2016-03-16T20:35:04Z")
> [@Crazier\_Catlady](#): > > On a slightly different note: there is a Dutch medal for bravery under fire, the Willemsorde, which is given really, really rarely, as in once in a blue moon. The recipients of the order no longer have to salute their superiors, their superiors have to salute them instead. There is an unwritten tradition in the U.S. that Medal of Honor recipients will be saluted first as well, even by those who are their superiors. Note that any salute always mandates that the person being saluted return the salute and greeting, so in the U.S. anyway, there is never a situation where one party is saluting the other unilaterally. In other words, there is never a situation where one party is saluting “instead” of the other. The only question is who initiates the exchange. ---
**Author:** ![robby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/robby/32/11048_2.png) [@robby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robby)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/33 "2016-03-16T20:46:06Z")
This whole discussion reminds me of the classic response that a senior enlisted sailor (e.g. a Master Chief Petty Officer) makes when [improperly] saluted, “Don’t salute me, son, I work for a living!” 😉 ---
**Author:** ![SCAdian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/scadian/32/3292_2.png) [@SCAdian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCAdian)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2016, 11:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828/34 "2016-03-16T23:38:39Z")
“Don’t call me ‘sir’ - my parents were married!” 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-saluting-required-in-all-the-worlds-major-militaries-any-exceptions/748828.md?page=1)