One required act of military courtesy is the salute. Regulations governing its use are founded on military custom deeply rooted in tradition. The salute is a symbol of respect and a sign of comradeship among service personnel. The salute is simple and dignified; but, there is great significance in that gesture. It is a time-honored demonstration of courtesy among all military personnel that expresses mutual respect and pride in the service.
In the Marine Corps, courtesy is an expression of respect for the authority possessed by an individual, as well as a demonstration of respect for the Corps as a whole. Through the use of the various forms of military courtesy a Marine says, in effect, "As brothers in arms and fellow Marines, I consider you worthy of my respect." When used in this manner, military courtesy assumes one of its most important roles; it is an expression of the respect a Marine has for other Marines and for himself. Of all the forms of military courtesy, the various salutes are probably the most important. They are certainly the most obvious and frequently used.
Whom to salute:
Enlisted personnel salute all officers, and officers salute their seniors. Salutes are returned by persons saluted except when they are uncovered—the person saluted should acknowledge the salute with an appropriate greeting or a nod of the head. Under marines customs, the hand salute is accompanied by a word of greeting. The junior stands at attention, looks the senior straight in the eye, and says (depending upon the time of day) the following:
• From first rising until noon “Good morning,…”
• From noon until sunset “Good afternoon, …”
• From sunset until turning in “Good evening,…”
It is preferable to call the senior by grade and name; that is, “Colonel Sanchez,” rather than by the impersonal “sir” or “ma’am.” Here are a few more things to consider:
• Always salute from the position of attention. If you are walking, you need not stop; but hold yourself erect and square. If on the double, slow to a walk when saluting.
• Salute officers even if they are uncovered or their hands are occupied. Your salute will be acknowledged by a verbal greeting, such as “Good morning,” “Good afternoon,” or something similar.
• If you are walking with or standing by a commissioned officer and the occasion for a salute arises, do not salute until the officer salutes. Assume that you are walking with a lieutenant. A commander approaches. Do not salute the commander until the lieutenant salutes; but as soon as the lieutenant starts to salute, you should quickly do the same.
On occasion, you might be uncertain whether the person approaching you in uniform is an officer, thus rating a salute. The safest course of action is to salute immediately and not wait for the person approaching you to disclose his/her rank. In other words, when in doubt, salute. Also if you are walking outside and you want up to a group of officer and there are different ranks standing there you always Salute the highest ranking officer there.
Wearing cover and uncovering:
By now, you should know that when indoors, marine personnel must remove their hats or covers. Some exceptions to this rule is when the personnel are officially reporting to the Commanding Officer (CO) or Officer of the Deck (OOD), or when the personnel are armed. During ceremonial events in the Henderson Hall or on the Chesty Puller Drill Deck uniformed personnel are also asked to keep their covers on to render salutes during the duration of the ceremony.
When outdoors, military headdress is never removed, or raised as a form of salutation. However there is one exception when covers needs to be removed. That is when walking on a flight deck or a flight zone. Then the cover must be removed at ALL times. When appropriate, civilians may be saluted in lieu of removing the headdress.
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