Anyone saluted the wrong rank working on a Joint Base?

If it's Navy Brass of any country isn't the "Brass" your key as in the braid on the U. If not an Nco has the rank on the sleeve. Cammos on the other hand are a bit confusing unless you get close enough?

At fort Gordon not only happened all time, it had Officers and NCO from other NATO countries doing training there too. It was crazy. I would see some NATO soldiers with rank that shines turns out it would be just a lower enlisted. Than when the Velcro patches came in use the SPC e-4 rank looks like a subdued LT corneal rank when they coming walking up to.

I was a Navy Petty Officer while serving on 2 different ships and more bases than I dare to try to remember for Naval Training Centers. Luckily, my dad was army and I learned those early on as he was also a civilian at Wright Patterson AFB, so those were taken care of. The Navy and Coast Guard are in a world of their own, yet we adapted from our mother county England. Officers are not the problem for me, it is the enlisted ranks.

A salute is free...a chewing-out lasts a bit longer. :) When stationed near NATO HQ, as an Army Captain ( O3 ), I recvd a phone call from a gentleman who identified himself as Captain Smith, requesting help with a matter. I said "How ya doing, Buddy?" or something like that...and was met with cold silence. I quickly queried him "Are you an ARMY Captain or a NAVY Captain?" He replied "I am a US Naval Officer." I apologized, while thinking "Eff you, ya Swabbie." and proceeded to assist him. Effem if they take their rank so serious...

Now that Air Force gloves (pants pockets) are okay, it's only going to make it worse.

Two distinct times come to mind. As an Army Reservist I was assigned to a Reserve Center (1999) that was a quarter mile out the back gate of McConnell AFB. A couple of junior enlisted airmen saluted me enroute to their DFAC, mistaking my Specialist's "sham shield for LTC leaf, in part because there was black behind my rank on the BDU cap.
The second was when a brigade of MN ARNG infantrymen were preparing for a (2004) deployment to Iraq. The 3d Cavalry DUI, affixed on my beret, included a bugle standing on it's bell in gold. They saw it flash in the sun and thought I was a 2LT.

In the first instance, I turned around looking for who they were saluting. In the second, I sort of ducked and threw my hands up to shield myself from what was being "thrown" at me.
I've often wondered why this poses so much trouble for people. Although the Navy & Coast Guard use different nomenclature, all of the commissioned officers in our military branches use the same insignia for pay grades (O-4 is a gold leaf whether major or LT Commander.) Subdued sew-on is(or was) a little confusing with black and brown bars or leaves in the Army & blue or rust orange in the AF, but they're still bars & leaves.

On Howard AFB, Panama, those navy guys had so much bling on their hats, they would get me every time.

No, but as a private in AIT at the NTC in San Diego, the trainees there would salute us when we were in our Class As. Always thought that was weird, but then I remembered an old cartoon saying. . .If it don't walk, if it don't talk, salute it! A little backwards, but you get my drift! Guess the Navy worked that way! LOL

I got lucky when we left for Honduras and Granada we were aboard a ship so we didn't have to salute I was aboard for 6 days and I couldn't tell you one ding dang rank lmao then I west point we had to stay on an airforce base they didn't salute anyone only had to walk around and do much of nothing just only our own but to the CW5Sam R Baker some of us knew what your rank was lol

When I was still a national guard years ago and we were wearing the brace with our unit insignia on it, I was the first 1/111th infantry And unit crest was Benjamin Franklin at a distance it looked like a lieutenant bar and we get saluted all the time.

All officer ranks are the same, no? What is issue recognizing them?

More fun going international.
In Japan, it seemed like everyone saluted everybody.
It sure made things entertaining.

It wasn't on a joint base, but I got quite a few mistaken salutes in Iraq. Turns out there are not a lot of graying 45-year olds coming back into the Infantry to deploy after a 20 year break in service. I finally asked someone, and he told me that at my age and at a distance, he assumed my sham shield must be a light colonel's oak leaf. (What's the corollary of "stolen valor", stolen respect"?)

It wasn't on a joint base, but I received a lot of salutes in Iraq by accident. Turns out coming back in after a 25 year break in service means there are not a lot of graying 45-year old SPCs in the infantry being deployed. I finally asked someone what the deal was and he told me at a distance, most people assumed that at my age my sham shield must be a light colonel's oak leaf. (What's the corollary of "stolen valor", "stolen respect"?)

Thankfully there is someone else out there that has done that as well; ME.

Yes I have and was "semi-politely" corrected. It was a Navy Chief and that "damned" gold braid threw me off, since "only" offices have gold or silver braids on their head gear, or so I thought. I should have told him I was saluting the man, not the rank.

When i was stationed in ft. Drum theres this unit that wears a standing polar besar always got it confused to a lt.

Coast Guard collar devices on BDUs is gold and silver, so I got flipped off a lot

Been saluted, Coast Guard collar devices for BDUs are gold and silver, so got flipped off a lot.

Navy (and US Coast Guard) ranks are so convoluted. Why can't they be like the rest of the military branches. Even the Space Force choose the latter.