Saluting different branches?

C

cero

10-Year Member
5-Year Member
Joined
Feb 18, 2008
Messages
15
Should you salute officers of different branches out of a sign of respect? I am sorry if it is a dumb question, but I have never seen this done before, and I was wondering if that really happens. :confused:
 
Yes they do. At Buckley Air Force Base in CO, there's a lot of Marines and of course Air Force personnel. I've seen Marines salute Air Force officers just outside of the gym (when they're in uniform). I believe they also salute officers from other countries if they are higher rank than they are.
 
Yes, you shall render and return salutes from members of all branches of the services. Good luck figuring out the rank structure of foreign militaries :)
 
The last time I was there, I saw an Italian AF officer that was like a Major, he had some kind of a credential that stated his rank.
 
I found out the hard way in basic that YES you do salute officers of other nations. We had a British officer in our squadron. I didn't recognize her rank and I did not salute. Only made that mistake once.
 
For foreign officers, there should be a plastic name tag above their right name tape that gives the american officer equivelent of their rank. Treat them like any other officer. Also, treat officers of other services like you would treat the officers of your own service, they will rip into you. I'm AD and I've seen this happen plenty of times.
 
The rule tends to be "when in doubt, salute." If you salute someone whom you needn't (i.e., an enlisted person), the worst that will happen is that the other person will look at you strangely or maybe politely correct you. If you fail to salute someone you should salute . . . the correction might not be so gentle. :frown:
 
usna1985 said:
The rule tends to be "when in doubt, salute." If you salute someone whom you needn't (i.e., an enlisted person), the worst that will happen is that the other person will look at you strangely or maybe politely correct you. If you fail to salute someone you should salute . . . the correction might not be so gentle. :frown:
Click to expand...

Heh-heh....

I remember being saluted by a Navy CAPTAIN once. I was in my NAPS banana suit at the time and he was in the Officer Indoctrination School, which means he'd been a Captain for maybe a week. He saw "Naval Academy" on my sweat top and snapped one off. :yllol:
 
Just a little correction....salute officers of foreign nations who the United States is friendly with. You would not salute an officer of a nation we do not have relations with or do not recognize.
 
LineInTheSand said:
Just a little correction....salute officers of foreign nations who the United States is friendly with. You would not salute an officer of a nation we do not have relations with or do not recognize.
Click to expand...

Shoot 'em on sight. :thumb:

All joking aside, it should be noted that the respect of a salute to a senior officer is expected at almost any time short of being in actual combat. Back in the days when wars were fought by countries with professional militaries (unlike today, when one side is most likely comprised of scumbag terrorists), it was common to see salutes between sides at negotiations, surrenders, in POW camps, and the like. It all depended upon the context of the meeting.
 
Last edited:
Just a little correction....salute officers of foreign nations who the United States is friendly with. You would not salute an officer of a nation we do not have relations with or do not recognize.
Click to expand...

Sad to say but, in most cases, you may not know what country someone is from until they have passed (unless you are expecting someone and then the protocol has probably already been established). Thus, it's a spot decision.

Also, I doubt there are many situations in which the average officer/mid is going to run into a military officer from a country we don't recognize/have relations with. A few, but I think it would be extremely rare. Again, if in doubt, I'd perosnally rather salute an "enemy" than fail to salute a friend.
 
Haha, I was going to mention the chances of running into an officer of a country we don't identify being low...but I sadly did not. Foreign branches can be very tough. I ran into an officer of a an island nation...had two stripes on his shoulder boards but a gold oak leaf...luckily all of those still were higher than the white shield collar devices I was wearing, so a salute was rendered.


Cross-branch saluting can be pretty tough, especially if you don't know where to look on the uniform. The crows on the collar devices of Navy cammies look alot like a full bird...luckily you can factor age into it. The only time I've been a little angry about a missed salute was on a Navy base in Virginia, in which the sailor obviously disregarded it as a slight for the branch...but that was one bad apple. In general, it isn't too hard for anyone to pick out. To tell you the truth, I feel bad for the non-sea service members, the stripes on our sleaves can been pretty tricky.
 
LineInTheSand said:
To tell you the truth, I feel bad for the non-sea service members, the stripes on our sleaves can been pretty tricky.
Click to expand...

O god! Agreed! I'm on a multiservice and now multinational base and navy/coast guard rank is by far the most cofusing if your not in that service. Mostly because their senior enlisted wear the same uniforms as officers and wear anchors where their officer rank should be... lets just say my eyesights not so good and I have been told many times how certain career seamen work for a living. But like they said... when in doubt, whip it out!(a salute that is)... It's much better than not saluting a lt. commander(my friend did that once... I repeat ONCE)
 
it was so much easier when I was a mid... any time you saw a thick stripe you threw it up regardless of the service or nationality
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top