Why Should Presidents Salute?

[SeerSGB]

Shouldn't we be asking you, Dayton3? Aren't you a Social Studies teacher?

Oddly enough, military protocol isn't in the teaching syllabus of high school social studies teachers.

I would have thought something as basic as salutes would be. When I was in elementary, maybe early Junior-High, we learned "Civic protocol" in Social Studies-- flag protocol, when to salute, who to salute, etc. It was taught during our "good citizenship" unit.

 

[Misfit Toy]

Can anyone correct my thinking if I'm wrong?

I don't know. Have you ever changed your mind about a topic due to what you've read on this board?

I just did.

Link?

 

[Franklin]

The President is entitled to a salute by military protocol, but even though he is commander in chief, as a civilian, and not an actual member of the military, he does not have to return the salute. Indeed, President Ford did not return salutes, but gave back a solemn and respectful nod.

It's also not required to salute someone wearing civvies, but it's OK to do it.

 

[JustKate]

In the U.S. Marine Corps, it's improper to salute unless you're in uniform, including your hat (a.k.a. "cover"), and since you only wear your cover outdoors (unless you're on guard duty), you never salute indoors. Indoors, you're supposed to stand at attention instead. It makes my husband crazy when they get this wrong in movies, which they almost always do.

But I digress.

I think the salute is a nice gesture of respect from the commander in chief, but it's not the only one available. But if you can do it well, why not do it? And if you can't, or if it doesn't feel right (and I can understand why it might not), the respectful nod sounds fine to me.

 

[USS Triumphant]

I think the salute is a nice gesture of respect from the commander in chief, but it's not the only one available. But if you can do it well, why not do it? And if you can't, or if it doesn't feel right (and I can understand why it might not), the respectful nod sounds fine to me.

That is waaay too sensible and logical.

No, I'm afraid it has to be that Obama has such a nice, crisp salute because he learned it while he was secretly in a foreign military. A radical, Muslim military.

 

[Franklin]

Hey, it's not like Hitler's salutes were always snappy. Some were downright perfunctory. Look at the historical film reels. Look at the historical film reels! (Someone had to say it.)

 

[Lookingglassman]

As long as I have been associated with the Army if you are a Soldier and recognize (meaning you know who the person is) a higher ranking officer in civilian clothes then you are required to salute him/her.

Oh and we didnt like Clinton because of his salute, we hated him because of what he did to the military. Focusing on "peacekeeping" crap instead of warfighting and trying his social experiment by forcing us to accept (for the purpose of political correctness and not to upset a mod) "People who dont like people of the opposite sex".

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

Hey, it's not like Hitler's salutes were always snappy. Some were downright perfunctory. Look at the historical film reels. Look at the historical film reels! (Someone had to say it.)

And this thread has officially been Godwin'd!

 

[Squiggy]

From the Army FM 22-5:

APPENDIX A
Saluting
A-2. When to Salute
a. Army personnel in uniform are required to salute when they meet and recognize
persons entitled (by grade) to a salute except when it is inappropriate or
impractical (in public conveyances such as planes and buses, in public places
such as inside theaters, or when driving a vehicle). A salute is also rendered:
(1) When the United States National Anthem, “To the Color,” “Hail to the Chief,”
or foreign national anthems are played.
(2) To uncased National Color outdoors.
(3) On ceremonial occasions as prescribed in Chapter 9.
(4) At reveille and retreat ceremonies, during the raising or lowering of the flag.
(5) During the sounding of honors.
(6) When pledging allegiance to the US flag outdoors.
(7) When turning over control of formations.
(8) When rendering reports.
(9) To officers of friendly foreign countries.
b. Salutes are not required when:
(1) Indoors, except when reporting to an officer or when on duty as a guard.
(2) A prisoner.
(3) Saluting is obviously inappropriate. (Example: A person carrying articles with
both hands, or being otherwise so occupied as to make saluting impracticable,
is not required to salute a senior person or return the salute to a subordinate.) In
any case not covered by specific instructions, the salute is rendered.

 

[Franklin]

From the Army FM 22-5:

APPENDIX A
Saluting
A-2. When to Salute
a. Army personnel in uniform are required to salute when they meet and recognize
persons entitled (by grade) to a salute except when it is inappropriate or
impractical (in public conveyances such as planes and buses, in public places
such as inside theaters, or when driving a vehicle). A salute is also rendered:
(1) When the United States National Anthem, “To the Color,” “Hail to the Chief,”
or foreign national anthems are played.
(2) To uncased National Color outdoors.
(3) On ceremonial occasions as prescribed in Chapter 9.
(4) At reveille and retreat ceremonies, during the raising or lowering of the flag.
(5) During the sounding of honors.
(6) When pledging allegiance to the US flag outdoors.
(7) When turning over control of formations.
(8) When rendering reports.
(9) To officers of friendly foreign countries.
b. Salutes are not required when:
(1) Indoors, except when reporting to an officer or when on duty as a guard.
(2) A prisoner.
(3) Saluting is obviously inappropriate. (Example: A person carrying articles with
both hands, or being otherwise so occupied as to make saluting impracticable,
is not required to salute a senior person or return the salute to a subordinate.) In
any case not covered by specific instructions, the salute is rendered.

Oooooooohh!! Someone's been on Google.

 

[Squiggy]

Well, yeah. But I had to memorize that in high school.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

Really? Clearly, the state of education has declined in the eons since you were in school.

 

[Skywalker]

I don't remember having to memorize that when I was in high school. Then again, I didn't really pay much attention when I was in high school.

Which is why I'm not the one working for NASA.

 

[Alidar Jarok]

I'm pretty sure it was mentioned in Scouts, but I never had to learn that in high school.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

He must have learned all that when he wasn't mooning people.

 

[Outpost4]

This has always bugged me. It was Reagan, a man who was never in the military but played a soldier in the movies, who first returned the salutes of those soldiers who saluted him. I never remember Eisenhower, Kennedy or Nixon returning salutes (I don't remember one way or another about Johnson). All three of these men were World War II veterans. They understood that they were now civilians and should not return the salute. To me, not returning the salute is a sign of the civilian control of the military, a foundation of our democracy.

I wish Obama, again a man who never served in the military, would not return the salute. It is proper and respectful for people to salute him. Not saluting back I think shows the proper respect for American democracy.

 

[cultcross]

He must have learned all that when he wasn't mooning people.

Well you see they never taught him what a salute actually looked like, so he had to improvise.

 

[TheMasterOfOrion]

On the other hand, I've heard that President Clinton was disliked (in part) because of his sloppy saluting?

You "heard" from whom? Or did you tell yourself this fact? Not doubt Clinton's "salut" might have been sloppy once or twice but I'm sure that's because he was distracted on other important issues.....like hanky panky in the Oval Office

I don't remember ever being impressed by Reagan's saluting, ever
that's certainly not something Ronnie Alzheimers did that "impressed" me

 

[Roger Wilco]

I guess for practical political reasons, returning the salutes is the only thing Obama could do, because everything else would be regarded as a deliberate insult of the military by right-wingers and parts of the media - regardless of what used to be tradition or rule in this case. Remember the flag-pin BS?

 

[Squiggy]

I don't remember having to memorize that when I was in high school. Then again, I didn't really pay much attention when I was in high school.

Which is why I'm not the one working for NASA.

I was in ROTC. Drill and Ceremony was my thing man!

I'm pretty sure it was mentioned in Scouts, but I never had to learn that in high school.

Scouts has a relaxed policy on saluting. When I was in it there was no set BSA-wide rule on saluting scouts of a higher rank, it was pretty much just salute the flag.