# Military Dopers: which civilians (if any) must you salute? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [November 18, 2005, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-dopers-which-civilians-if-any-must-you-salute/331603 "2005-11-18T04:00:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 4\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-dopers-which-civilians-if-any-must-you-salute/331603/21 "2005-11-23T03:18:05Z")
[Related Snopes link regarding Marine salutes to Bill Clinton.](http://www.snopes.com/military/salute.htm) ---
**Author:** ![Bear\_Nenno](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bear_nenno/32/3358_2.png) [@Bear\_Nenno](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bear_Nenno)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 10:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-dopers-which-civilians-if-any-must-you-salute/331603/22 "2005-11-23T10:18:09Z")
From Army Regulation 600-25: Salutes, Honore, and Visits of Courtesy: > [@](#): > > 1–5. Hand salutes and salutes with arms > a. For instructions on executing the hand salute, see FM 3–21.5, paragraph 4–4. > b. All Army personnel in uniform are required to salute when they meet and recognize persons entitled to the salute. > Salutes will be exchanged between officers (commissioned and warrant) and enlisted personnel, and with personnel of > the Armed Forces of the United States (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard), the commissioned corps > of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service > entitled to the salute. > c. The junior person shall salute first. Accompanying the rendering of the hand salute with an appropriate greeting > such as, “Good Morning, Sir” or “Good Morning, Ma’am” is encouraged. Personnel will not salute indoors except > when reporting to a superior officer. > d. The practice of saluting officers in official vehicles (recognized individually by rank or identifying vehicle plates > and/or flags) is considered an appropriate courtesy and will be observed. Salutes are not required to be rendered by or > to personnel who are driving or riding in privately owned vehicles, except by gate guards who will render salutes to > recognized officers in all vehicles unless duties are of such a nature as to make the salute impractical. When military > personnel are acting as drivers of a moving vehicle, they should not initiate a salute. > e. It is customary to salute officers of friendly foreign nations when recognized as such. The commanding general, > U.S. European Command; the commanding general, U.S. Army Europe and Seventh U.S. Army; commanding general, > U.S. Forces Korea and Eighth U.S. Army; commanding general, U.S. Army, Pacific; and commanding general, U.S. > Army, Southern Command, are delegated the authority to establish policies for recognition courtesies prevailing locally > for foreign officials. Should inactivation eliminate any of these commands, the authority will pass down to the next > level of command. This authority will not be delegated further. > f. The President of the United States, as the commander in chief, will be saluted by Army personnel in uniform. > g. Civilian personnel, to include civilian guards, are not required to render the hand salute to military personnel or > other civilian personnel. No mention of Congressmen, Senators or anything like that. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 10:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-dopers-which-civilians-if-any-must-you-salute/331603/23 "2005-11-23T10:37:16Z")
Bear in mind that all this is largely academic. Soldiers don’t often meet salute-worthy civilians on a day-to-day basis, and when they do, the meeting is usually preceded by some intense drilling by a sergeant-major type who will tell you exactly _who, how_ and _when_ you salute, and who will have serious words with you afterwards if you deviate from his instructions by even a fraction of an arm-swing. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [November 23, 2005, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-dopers-which-civilians-if-any-must-you-salute/331603/24 "2005-11-23T13:05:35Z")
> [@Bear\_Nenno](#): > > From Army Regulation 600-25: Salutes, Honore, and Visits of Courtesy: > No mention of Congressmen, Senators or anything like that. That’s how I learned it, no VP only POTUS. Jim [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/military-dopers-which-civilians-if-any-must-you-salute/331603.md?page=1)