Anyone saluted the wrong rank working on a Joint Base?

Maelstrom Air Force Base we were tasked with picking up garbage I was walking through our overflow parking lot picking up nails I had a fist full of nails in my right hand happened to look up and one of our lieutenants was walking towards me I saluted her with my left hand she looked at me saluted back and just smiled and kept walking

Nope, my dad was navy so I was well aware of naval ranks. Unless you see bars, leaves, or birds without anchors... keep it holstered. While the titles differ, warrant and commissioned ranks are visually the same across the board. The big problem that occurs in the army is playing the "is this person a LTC or SPC when it is subdued rank. I've seen many NCOs mistake a LTC as a SPC and vice versa

I believe you should be okay. Most other Armed Forces understand when you mistake a rank. Just look it up and do better next time. When in doubt whip it out still applies...

I saluted a Coast Gaurd senior NCO at Fort Sam near the radiology school house as a private. I remember him chuckling and saying “not me, but thanks”

I’m sure I have, don’t temper it, At Fort Bragg during Desert Shield I could be walking down the street and troops kept saluting me, a sergeant major. I always returned the salute. Finally a permanent party for an explanation. He told me to look at the photo of the post commander at the entrance to the PX. We could have been twins

I saluted a lot of CPOs while in flight school at Pensacola. They have giant eagles in the rank, they wear it on the collar like Navy officers, and hell, they're even wearing a different uniform than the junior enlisted.

When I branch transfered from Marines to Army, my first duty station was Ft. Riley Ks. they did me a favor and had the replacement station me with HHC 2 BDE so I could learn about the Army! When I arrived on post, I had no idea what a unit crest was, and in those days 1980 they wore the crest on the hat above the rank, so naurally I thought they were some kind of officer, and ended up saluting privates with no rank, all over the place, some Cpl. who decided to mess with me, started dogging me out, he was from the replacement company. When I told him that I had just arrived on post and this was the first day in the Arlmy, he started in on lme! Then he went to the records, found about the Marines, and started testing me on all weapons, breaking them down reasssembly in the test time, just looking for a was to get me!! When I passed all his tests he decided to question command about me even just being there, wanted to send me home, but the brakes slalmmed on him, when command questioned me about the harrasment, I stated that I needed a teacher for this transition to work, and this CPL. I felt would lmake a fine teacher, then it was my turn!!! We met in Ft. Polk La. years later, and laughed about the whole thing, turned out to be a pretty nice guy in the end.

I grew up in a military family, dad was a Navy Lifer, one brother a Marine, second in the Navy, me in the Army, niece in the Air Force, so I could at least tell enclosed from officers, if not rank or rate.

It’s the foreign nation ranks that always got me. Being at Benning and seeing international Solders at the old School of Americas, now the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, you would have lower enlisted with stars or epaulettes on their uniforms . . . WTH!

One year while training at Benning, the first sergeant of the BCT company we were working with walked out of the orderly room to check on the morning training. This individual was Puerto Rican and it seemed has favorite English phraseology was profanity. After being gone for a short time he returned to the orderly room cussing his head off. He began lecturing his drill sergeants for not enforcing the standards of Customs and Courtesies, because everywhere he went, trainees were saluting him. Then one of the drill sergeants pointed at his head gear. On his way out the door he had inadvertently grabbed the trainings officer’s hat. When he saw it, he just stated laughing and said f%^K them.

I have not, but when I attended my son's Basic Training Graduation at Lackland Air Force Base, I wore my Class A's. Yes, it was a while ago. As we walked back to his dorm after the Graduation, I kept getting saluted. Granted, I was a Master Sergeant/E-8, 20 years in service, Infantry, so I had on lots of things they had never seen.
I asked my Brigade Command Sergeant Major, prior to leaving for the graduation, if he would give me a CSM and unit coin to give to my son's TI. He thought that was a great idea and gave them to me to present to the TI. Good times.

Catching a hop out of NAS Dallas (long before it was closed) to NAS NOLA, I was an Army Captain. I was put on a small Navy executive aircraft with three Navy Captains who were headed to a Reserve function. I sat down and greeted them, Captain, Captain, Captain.

Comment, I would have much rather saluted an NCO than not salute an Officer. My reasoning was respect, no matter what that individual probably out ranked me and they had signed the "dotted line" and taken the same oath as I did. Respect may not be as popular as it once was, however with my upbringing it was the only option.

Lol, Ive been saluted many times. Realistically my insignia looks like a cluster of gold anyways. Also, i have 100% saluted other navy guys on accident, including some ancient looking third class at like 4 in the morning lol

Hey ssgt, maybe just a little violence? I mean it is the army not the air force after all

How many have been saluted when wearing a non-military uniform?
I used to be part of a Christian scouting organization called Royal Rangers. As a leader, our rank insignia was very much like the military. Just different colors.
Examples:
Single blue bar was Lt Commander.
Double blue bars was Commander.
Double white bars was Sr. Commander
We even had Oak Leaf and Eagles for persons who were responsible for large areas or even regions.

While riding my bike back to base I had to stop at the MP Hut at the front gate. When I walked in, the Sgt gave me a very nice salute and was very puzzled when I showed him my ID Card. On it was my USMC rank of Lance Corporal. Based on the service patch for "Royal Rangers", he thought that I was probably with the British services.

After it was explained he got a good chuckle from it and I moved on.

Yes, I have, multiple times. Or the opposite - I have to get soooo close to distinguish the rank and then rush to salute. As an Army NCO, I find myself staring at people's chests more often than not trying to figure out what their rank is. Often it is Navy, Coast Guard and Air Force personnel I have the most difficulty with. Marine Corps is easier for me. Of course, with the Army it is hit or miss because some CAMO and duty uniforms make it hard to distinguish rank at a distance - which is, the point, I guess, so a sniper doesn't take you out.

well definitely don't carry things, as in your right hand especially if you are on or near a HQ base/post etc. .. with all the seniors/leaders are there esp. if on official business .. a lower ranked S.M. will be saluting a lot .. example .. enlisted saluting officers constantly .. and make sure if foreign officers are there to remember their respective rans/grades esp. the officers

I was stationed on Camp Hialeah in South Korea for 16 months. I was the only Navy person there. When wearing my working blues (black dress pants, long sleeve shirt - ala the Johnny Cash look) I would also wear my black Eisenhower jacket with my chrome 1st Class Petty Officer rank pins on the collar along with a black garrison cap with same rank pin. All the junior Army enlisted would mistake me for an officer and salute. But you know the rule - when in doubt, salute.

Oh hell yeah. I used to hate walking anywhere NEAR medical at Camp Lejeune because of the Navy Personnel. Half their enlisted rank is shiny it seemed and on a bright day all you see is the gleam....only to finally walk by them and realized that they're like an E-2.

Another invite to an 8 year old topic - sheesh - but OK, my response is from 50 years ago - out of Marine boot I was sent to a Navy base in Tennessee for MOS training. I learned in boot if there was silver or gold on the collar, I saluted it. CPOs had a ball cussing me out. After a few of those I got the wrong message, and failing to salute the next Marine Major I encountered got me reamed again.
All non-academic knowledge comes in suppository form. I never claimed to be smart, just trainable.

Yes, but my post was never a joint base. I served in the days of BDUs and black boots. Our ranks were pinned to the collar points and the covers. Enlisted were supposed to have subdued black rank while warrants and officers could wear the shiny brass and silver ranks. There was a SSG from another unit I saluted several times because his rank insignia was old and literally every time I saw gold/brass on a collar point I saluted. He would laugh out loud and mock me. I wouldn't say anything but instead, I was seething. I would think, "M-f-er! Fix your effing rank, Sergeant! There is M-Nu across the street at the PX. Buy some. You are out of uniform!"