Should retired officers, who are not in uniform, return a salute?

I stopped and asked, and was told I wasn't required to salute. I asked what the gate guard would prefer. He told me that he was going to salute me either way in honor of my service. I said in that case I should return his salute and he said he would be honored to receive it. Since then I always return a salute, simple courtesy and, quite frankly, as a lowly 0-4, it makes my day.

Returning a salute is just a classy way to show appreciation to the courtesy rendered.

Well said.

SFC Michael Lindenbusch - It's also worth noting that different nations have different customs and regulations. For example, in the British Army you always remove headgear when inside a building, and you never salute when not wearing a hat / beret, whether indoors or outside.

Strange. My statement calls it Retired Pay.

Well said Major.

The key point is, as Maj Reams points out, retired pay is not an annuity like a 401k. The IRS may look at them as similar but historically they are not.

Only up to a certain age, then it is truly retired pay.

1SG(P) Dean Mcbride (MPER) (SPHR) - I don't care what some clerk typist put on your DD-214. Retirees aren't promotable, and an E-8 who isn't occupying a 1SG billet is a MSG. If you're impressed by academic credentials, you haven't been forced to endure as many overeducated morons as I have!

LTC Matthew Schlosser - Just a quick look at your full profile tells me a lot. It reads like you are unhappy with your academics and disgruntled with some of your service.
An additional point about my rank. When I retired I was presented with recall orders that could be inacted in an emergency - my recall assignment was as a First Sergeant in an Armored unit (probably due to retiring at Fort Knox - it was the armor center at that time.) If recalled, I would also still be a Promotable E-8...
Basically, I could give a "Rats A@#" about what you think. I served 22 years in the US Army and am proud of my service. I went to college after I retired and received an undergraduate and a graduate degree and I am proud of that accomplishment.
Yes, I have seen a few overeducated morons but, I do not use the same brush to paint everyone with an education.

1SG(P) Dean Mcbride (MPER) (SPHR) - It actually doesn't surprise me that you're impressed by people advertising their academic credentials. You're clearly unhappy that you never made E-9, and you probably coerced people into addressing you as "master sergeant" when you weren't in a 1SG billet. As for my own academics, I have three degrees paid for by the Army and none of them define me any more than the one the VA is buying me now. I'm certainly NOT disgruntled with my service. I went into the Army with the goal of being a FAO, achieved that, and enjoyed every minute of it. But I'm the son of a Sergeant Major and a keen judge of senior NCOs. Anyone who would emphasize "1SG" and "promotable" when neither is relevant as a retiree has serious self esteem issues and was probably as toxic a leader as the 1SG I had when I was an XO. (Thankfully, my 1SG in command was a solid leader.)

LTC Matthew Schlosser - Following is an excert from the current US Army policy regarding retirement with the title of First Sergeant and with Promotable status. Hopefully, with this new information, you will reevaluate some of your previous thinking.

A First Sergeant in the US Army can retire with that title, but there are specific conditions:
Current Service: If a soldier is serving as a 1SG at the time of retirement, they retire with that rank.
Previous Service (New 2022 Policy): Since January 1, 2022, Army policy allows Master Sergeants who previously served successfully as a First Sergeant but are currently in a terminal staff position to have their retirement orders read as First Sergeant.

Promotable Status (P): If you are a First Sergeant (P) and retire before making SGM, you retire as a First Sergeant (P).
Social Use: Retired military personnel can use their highest attained rank socially, but it must not bring discredit to the service.

I was serving as a First Sergeant (Promotable) when I retired so it was not some inefficient clerk typist that put the title on my DD-214. He or she was following the regulations.

Yes sir. Agreed. It's simply returning the courtesy.

Yes Sir, and the salute is a sign of mutual respect.

Warrant Officers only need to hold their last rank for 30 days to retain it into retirement. All other rules apply the same as "traditional commissioned" officers.

I can respect that!

Fair enough -- but if I have no authority as an officer, and recalls for the last 30+ years have always been voluntary, what does that really mean?

Yes, military retirees are subject to involuntary recall in certain circumstances. I was working at the old Coast Guard Headquarters building across the street from Fort McNair. Many times we would use their chow hall for lunch since, being junior enlisted, it was cheaper than the cafeteria in our building. One day I happened to get into a conversation with a retired Army Sergeant First Class. He said that he had to lock up the 7-11 store that he owned in retirement because he was recalled and had no one to run it. He said that they needed a tank desert warfare expert for one of the conflicts that we got into at that particular time. Granted that that particular situation happened a long time ago, but that does not mean that it hasn't happened since or couldn't happen in the future.

LTC Dallas Powell - Not all officers have authority over something and many do not. I was commissioned for my skills as a registered nurse and is a position I still do full time on the civilian side. The only thing different for me is I was placed into the retired command and dont wear a green uniform to work but everything else is the same.

Thank you Col. I think everyone should remember what we all went through to earn our rank. What we had to do to earn our rank differs from individual to individual. We all EARNED them! Whether enlisted or an officer, we all deserve the respect of our fellow service members. Quit worrying about whether that salute was deserved. I was Earned.