Salute is a gesture of greeting that generally expresses respect or courtesy. Various types of military salutes show respect to an officer, a flag, or a country. Other salutes include the handshake and the elaborate gestures with weapons made by fencers.
Military hand salutes.
According to U.S. Army regulations, soldiers must use the hand salute at a distance of not more than 30 paces and not less than six paces. They raise the right hand snappily to the forehead, with the palm down and the index finger at the peak of the cap. The forearm is held at a 45° angle. Soldiers must look directly at the officer when saluting, and the officer must return the salute if possible. Soldiers must salute, whether or not they are wearing any head covering. Navy personnel must be wearing head covering when they salute. Aboard ship, sailors salute an officer only at the first meeting during the day, except when reporting in the course of duty. Officers and enlisted personnel salute the flag and officer of the deck when boarding or leaving their ship. Only soldiers in good standing may salute. A prisoner may not salute.
Salutes with weapons.
Soldiers in formation carrying rifles present arms to officers. They do this by holding the rifle vertically in front of themselves, with the trigger forward. Standing sentinels also present arms. Marching soldiers give the rifle salute by raising their left forearms, with wrists and fingers in a straight line, and touching their rifles just behind the rear sight.
In other countries,
military salutes are similar to those of the United States. British soldiers salute with their palms out, rather than down. Some dictatorships adopted salutes that all persons had to use. In Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, civilians and soldiers saluted by holding their right arms out at an angle, palms down.
Planes and ships
also exchange salutes. Fliers often dip, or tilt, the wings of their planes. Ships passing on the high seas salute by dipping their flags once.
Other salutes.
Cannon, drum flourishes, and music are often used to salute visiting dignitaries. The number of rounds fired depends on the visitor’s importance. For a head of state, armed forces usually give a 21-gun salute, four ruffles and flourishes on the drums, and the visitor’s national anthem.
