Do I need to render a salute to an officer when my hands are occupied?

You free your right hand and SALUTE this is BASIC TRAINING. js. OOORAAH!

A binder and a mug? Just put the binder in your armpit and salute. I would agree with you if you had a heavy box that needed both hands, but it sounds like you just wanted to avoid the salute.

Are you unable to put the binder under your left arm to give the salute? Because if a binder and a mug is all you need to not salute people every E-4 on base would do it

Best thing to do is not walk around with a mug, cigarette, etc. in your right hand.

If you're truly encumbered with carrying a large box or something, render an appropriate greeting and you should be fine. When someone did something like that dealing with me, I always not only returned the greeting but also returned a salute which the person encumbered with carrying a large load would have rendered if he could have.

This is the kind of common-sense stuff which should be taught to officer aspirants so they're clear on the whole saluting thing.

Of course, those involved in a work detail carry on with their work and do not salute unless approached and addressed by an officer. When such occurs, the person in charge may call the group to attention- if it is PRACTICABLE- he salutes, and when the conversation is ended salutes the officer on his departure.

We used to teach these things, but I suppose there are far more important things on the schedule these days.

Usually that rule is for things that aren’t easily carried by one hand. You could have easily move the binder under your left arm and had the coffee in your left hand to render the salute. At least this is how it was explained to me.

If it is that difficult to survive in the military and it requires looking for "loop holes" in regs to smooth out someone's enlistment maybe life should be sought elsewhere. WARRIOR UP! THROW THE DAMN SALUTE WITH SOME PRIDE!

This has to be one of the strangest questions I have seen. If you are working it carrying things etc... and it is obvious there is no way to do so, then acknowledge their rank and move on.

IE carrying ammo, weapons, computer electronics, heavy bulky geer.

In my day in the Airborne it was "All the way sir!"
They would 99% of the time just say "Airborne" (or what is common in your unit) and you all continue on your way. Now if its something small you carry, keep "it" (right hand/arm) free so you can whip it out if needed.

I was a bit of a joker sometimes. I was always coming up with clever things to say besides "All the way sir, or Air assault.." I was never ever fond of "good day (insert Officer or NCO rank here)." etc...

I seem to remember being fond of "Death From Above Sir/CSM (whatever)..." for a while.
Anyhow. If this is a thing now with this I have to wonder what is going on in Basic, PLDC, BNOC and OCS that something like this is an issue.

It leads me to wonder if the officers in the military these days have lost site of their common sense. SGT(p)1986-2003

Is it so hard to put down your damn coffee and do what soldiers have been doing for over 200 years? I would have tore your butt up too.

Many, many moons ago when I was in my first branch as a Second Class Petty Officer, we had a junior officer (O-1 Ensign) who apparently had been " talked with" by our Captain about salutes. So he went overboard and started demanding salutes in the most bizarre situations. One day I was carrying a 100 pound crate down a 600 yard-long pier and he actually stopped for a few minutes and waited for me to eventually approach his location where he demanded I put down the heavy crate (a hydraulic pump for the missile launcher) and render a salute. Several other crewmen from a working party had also been similarly accosted and they all watched from the ship. Instead of arguing I put down my heavy burden and loudly thanked him profusely for giving my back a break. Then I loudly thanked him for taking time from his busy day to stand there and wait for my approach. Further that I was sure the ship's operational readiness was certainly of no concern compared to his morning salute. Later we NCOs talked half the crew into continually saluting this yahoo whenever we saw him. All screaming some overly dramatic greeting. Apparently the Captain thought this was hilarious and let it go on for a couple days. The embarrassed junior Ensign eventually became a great Officer, functional alcoholic and shipmate after we lead him astray in many foreign ports of call.

Short answer is no, if it isn’t possible to free up your hand during a carry.