I heard the punchline many times to the great VIP cartoon on top: "You salute the uniform, not the man."Uh-huh. If you can see the uniform, that is. I also heard other guys and their practical jokes. As a soldier in Germany in 1967 I might be walking along outside and hear someone say, "Soldier, don't you salute an officer?" I'd turn around in panic only to see one of my buddies and their idea of a joke. The reason I'd get a start is that it actually happened to me, said by an officer.
At my second duty station, which was at Fort Sill, Oklahoma, where I was for two months learning about artillery, we trained during the period mid-February to mid-April. For the first few weeks it was cold and dark in the morning. I got in the habit of going to breakfast by jogging; I'd jog to the mess hall, then jog back to the barracks for early-morning formation. One morning I was doing my jog when I heard a voice say, "Hey, private, don't you salute an officer?"
I looked and standing in the 6:00 a.m. darkness, in a shadow between two buildings cast by a streetlight, I saw a man. I thought it was one of my buddies pulling a gag on me, but I didn't recognize the voice. I walked over to him and he repeated, "Don't you salute an officer?" I got closer, still no recognition. I got about six inches from him, which caused him to back up against the building. I saw his finger pointing at his collar. I got my eyes about three inches away from his fingertip and saw, dimly, a gold bar. A second louie! A brand new second lieutenant, who wanted to make sure that he got his daily ration of salutes!
I accommodated him. Still three inches from his collar I raised my hand in my version of a snappy salute. "Good morning, SIR!" I couldn't see you, SIR!" I shouted into his face. He got a big puff of the scrambled eggs, toast and bacon I'd eaten just a few minutes before. He returned the salute from his very cramped position. "Good morning, soldier. Carry on," he told me. Just like they had taught him in Officers' Candidate School. Sheesh, I thought as I returned to my jog back to the barracks, don't some people have more to do than stand around harassing other people?
4 comments:
In my time in the Navy, you could always tell the former enlisted ensigns (O-1) from the "unsalted" variety because they had better things to do with their time than force someone to drop armloads of supplies to get their much-wanted salute instead of the more appropriate nod of the head accompanied by a "Good afternoon, sir".
There's the old story of a master chief passing by a boot camp ensign and greets him without a salute. The ensign, with a cracking puberty voice, shouts, "Hey! Aren't you supposed to salute an officer!"
The salty master chief reaches into his pocket, pulls out a quarter which he flips to the ensign, saying, "Here. Go call your mom and tell her you met a REAL sailor." The master chief then delivers a quick salute as he continues on his way.
you are so right you don't salute the person you salute the uniform..... hell if you were somewhere and saw a officer out of uniform you wouldn;t be required to salute him for one thing he couldn't return the salute because he or she wasn't in uniform.... like the presedent he shouldn't be saluting themarines who salute him he is not in uniform,,,,,,,,,,
You guys need to learn military law, because most of what you said would have been grounds for Article 14 nonjudiciary punishment.
You salute the man and the uniform. It is the higher rank person who determines whether or not a salute is necessary out of uniform. You are a soldier, sailor etc. 24hrs aday.
Secondly, the story about some veteran NCO giving a verbal denigration to a young officer, has always existed and is never true. While it is ultimately up to the commander, any NCO up to the to NCO of the military branch, caught denigrating a 2nd lieutenant could get a severe chastisement from his reporting officer, or even a letter in his file.
This posting is almost three years old and I'd forgotten I'd written it, but in my case yes, I did see a Command Sergeant Major telling a young 2nd Lieutenant to do something and the lieutenant reminded him, "Sergeant Major, I am still an officer and you must respect my rank." At which time I could practically hear the Sergeant Major's asshole clenching shut as he snapped to attention. "Of course, sir, of course. No offense intended, sir."
"And none taken," said the lieutenant. I was in the Commanding Officer's outer office, being a fly on the wall, a supernumerary from guard duty, who was there at the beck and call of the CSM, ready to run all over the battalion for what he needed fetched and carried.
The second lieutenant reminded me one day of the difference between enlisted men and officers: "I can order you to shine your boots, and even if mine are caked with mud you can't order me to clean mine."
During that period, 1966-68 for me, there was an awful lot of attitude brought on by soldiers who were drafted, didn't want to be there, had no respect for authority, etc. I believe the military today has a better handle on attitude. I hope so, anyway, because our morale was as low as it could get and our attitude toward anyone in authority was bad.
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