Should we discontinue saluting officers/senior officers so junior military members do not feel so undermined and more included?

Cpl Larry Garzenelli - Mr Garzenelli, I totally disagree with only saluting those that you know. During the 9 years that I served in uniform, I saluted because it was a sign of respect for the rank. If it was an officer I knew, then I saluted and gave a heartfelt greeting to go with the salute.

As for the officer who pulled over to demand a salute, you chalk that up to him having a lack of respect for himself and others. You aren't saluting him, you are saluting the emblem of authority on his collar. And remember, he has to return your salute as well, which is also a sign of respect.

We ran into that problem when I was a Pvt at Quantico. Very junior officers would get upset about not being saluted while driving. Myself, and some of my fellow classmates actually put an end to the saluting of vehicles on base by staggering ourselves in such a way that the officer who was driving had to return salutes constantly for over 1/2 mile. Within a week, an order was issued that the enlisted at Quantico were NOT to salute vehicles.

The paying of respect is even more important once you move up in rank because you are training those junior to you.

Cpl Larry Garzenelli - What about respect for the rank/position it is tradition nothing wrong with rendering a salute this weak ass panzie cry baby generation needs to understand at some point you answer to someone else not everybody can be the boss! Like a previous post said in the field that should not be a mandatory, I would think it isn't.
We need to get past worrying about someone feeling less valued because they have to render honors to someone who made the committment to be a freaking Leader(hopefully), And before anyone gets their panties in a wad I know the Senior NCO's are the real Leaders most of the time.

I've been a proud Union member and Democrat ever since I got out of the Army in 1994. I want to assure everybody that in no way do idiots like this represent the Democrat party as a whole. It's shit like this that makes laughingstocks out of hardworking, dues-paying Democrats everywhere.

What in the hell has become of my Marine Corps that one of its staff NCOs could even contemplate asking such a pansy-assed, snivelling, ridiculous question in the first place? Rip those chevrons off your sleeve and do us the courtesy of going AWOL You obviously don't belong in my Corps.

I think the key is who raised us. Our parents had survived The Great Depression. My mother's mother was living in Nebraska. Between the Depression and the Drought the farms were wiped out. My grandmother said it was time to leave when the seed corn had been eaten. She moved to New York City where she had family from Ireland. She got work and married my grandfather. My mother remembers that they were very poor.Her father had a job at Squibb. He'd worked in shipping as a clerk but downgraded to the loading dock rolling 55 gallon barrels of chemicals onto the trucks. She said he stunk from the chemicals when he came home at night. But it was a job. With 20% unemployment most people weren't picky about what they did for a living.
Some trivia. I was part of a group rewiring Met Life's old building on Madison Avenue and replacing 11,000 telephones. Met served a free lunch to its employees and anyone who happened to be in the building. They'd started it in 1929 to make sure every employee had at least one good meal a day. It continued to do it when things improved. I was there until 1979 and I wonder if it is still being done. That was a time when employers valued their employees. Not today. Employees are just an expense, robbing the company's executives of ever higher salaries.
WW2. They managed to survive rationing but mostly they survived losing 400,000 family members and friends. 12,000,000 draftees went to war against their will. They were tested to the harshest conditions they'd ever feel. They came home and helped build the US into a super power. The past was past. They looked to the future. They did the best possible despite the past hardships.
And they passed it on to us. Are we living up to this legacy?

i thought it was a serious joke for a moment...

Am so hoping that these young enlisted are being taught the CUSTOMS of all military branches it’s a custom to salute to render and respect this question should have never even be brought up WTF is going on in this country

PFC Kim Howard - What's even worse PFC Howard is back during the "Cold War" era, the Chinese weren't even considered part of it. They could not afford to equip their Army. Their fighting tactics primarily consisted of attacking in massive waves and the soldiers in the trailing echelons were to just pick up the weapons, ammo and equipment of those killed in front of them. The current problem is, not only do they have a well equipped military, but the Chinese government purchased our debt. The INTEREST ALONE that WE PAY, finances their military. So we are paying them to become an industrial, financial and military threat to us. Aren't our global politicians generous with our tax money? Thank you for what you do and applying your high intellect in support of defense to our country. I know Chinese/Mandarin isn't easy.

I was enlisted in the Navy from December 1966 to December 1976. Veterans have received much more respect in the last few years than in the first few years after the Vietnam period, regardless of your rank. My 97 year old dad (retired WWII Army) and I have been approached and complimented frequently in the last 20 years or so with the "Thank you for your service" comment. Sometimes it goes so far as someone quietly picking up a lunch tab with a smile and a wave, and sometimes by buying us a beer. It isn't expected but it certainly is appreciated. We haven't been in uniform at the time so that wasn't part of it. Appreciation and respect never goes out of style.

PO2 Gary Goodlund - yes it sure dose not i never go out looking for it myself. but it is nice to get that thank you. when I went on my unit liberation tour of E GERMANY & THE CHEZCH REPUBLIC MAY 1945 we went MAY 2013 i was treated like I was there in 1945 we did have 4 WW 11 veterans that was there in 1945 I was born 1961 we had to go to alot of small towns not on our tour. but they knew we ware comming and we the 26th YANKEE INFANTRY DIVISION 1st 101st /2nd 101st/ 3rd 101st - and units of the 26th 104th when I joined the MA. ARNG 26th 1st 101st INFANTRY 10 DEC 1981 I did not know anything about the units history it goes back to 1635 the nations first Military of the AMERICA'S 4 Reg. of the Colony'S n-s-e-w. still under british rule until 1775 when the Contenal army was formed. ill stop it here don't feel like writting a book now

PV2 Glenn E Moody - PV2 after six years? Impossible unless you were busted.

PO1 (Join to see) - well you have no idea how the NATIONAL GUARD works then like when i made my E-4 rank they gave it to me after the 2 week summer camp drill as A SPC 4 at the end of that formation my PLT LT called me front & center took the SPC. E-4 off & pinned me with hard stripe CPL. E-4 same pay grade but CPL makes you A JR NCO they can give rank to you just like that & take it away just like that to. when I joined I was just under the wire of having to have A High School Deploma or GED. but I was suposted get the GED in X-amount of time or be Discharged I never got my GED so they would not give me my E-5 SGT. rank I have A learning disablity so they didn't give me my over due E-5 because of it but i was so good at my MOS - job they didn't discharge my cause of not getting my GED. so I took it as an insult & stopped going to drills i only had 2 summer camp drills left i didn't go to so they took 1 stripe for each 1 that i missed 1st one from E-4 down to E-3 2nd one down to E-2 & gave me my General / HONORABLE DISCHARGE from 10 DEC 1981 to 09 DEC 1987 as A PVT 2 & being in the ARNG is only under State orders so most of the ARNG dose not get any kind of VA benifits period unless you get deplyoded to combat zone & even then it has to be under Federal orders period because i have A DD-214 honorable discharge from active duty / basic training back to my ARNG unit i get to have VETERAN on my drivers LIC. & REG. plates on my car.