What is your funniest salute story?

Approaching Base HQ as the commanding general's aide-de-camp one morning I returned the salute of the general's driver, a sergeant and former USMC drill instructor, with a crisp left-handed salute. Later that day in the office he respectfully noted to me that there seemed to be "something unusual" about my salute that morning.
1st Lt. Bill Hunter, USMC 083392

In the early part of basic training in 1965 at Fort Leanord Wood, MO another private and I were caring a large trash can by the handles heading for the dumpster. A staff car with officers in it drove by. We felt we should salute even though carrying the trash can. The person on the right rendered a normal right handed salute. I had my right hand on the trash can handle so I rendered a left hand rifle salute. The officers in the jeep returned our salutes but we could see them laughing....

We were advised to salute officers wherever we saw them ,and give salvation.one cold morning in zgetmany I spited one all the way across the parade field. Using my best Tennessee yelling voice I shouted “Good morning,sir!”And saluted. he looked A good minute before he spotted me gave ne s quick salute and walked off into the fog.

So one day I was preparing for a training exercise and I’m on the howitzer trouble shooting a radio. I start hearing someone talking behind me asking me if I knew what I was doing, I had no idea who it was just didn’t think anything of it, I replied with “ of course I know what I’m doing the army doesn’t pay me this poorly for no reason”. Come to find out it was MG banister. I quickly stood up and saluted with a radio in my hand and the mic attached to my uniform. Honestly he was pretty cool about it, but sure as hell shocked me.

MSgt Curtis Jamison (retired)
As a young Airman, we were taught, "when in doubt, whip it out"...meaning you should salute if you weren't sure you had to or not. Well at tech school, we saw a captain riding a bike, hold the handle bars with his right hand and books under his left arm. We weren't sure if we should salute, so we did. Out of instinct, he returned salute, turning loose the handle bars and veering off into some shrubs. We probably wouldn't have gotten into trouble if we could have stopped laughing so hard.

US AIR FORCE
IN BELGIUM I HAD LEFT MY UMBRELLA IN THE CHOW-HALL. TURNING BACK TOWARD THE CHOW-HALL I SAW A MAJOR WITH AN UMBRELLA AND APPROACHED HIM ASKING IF IT WAS OK IF I SEE HE HAD THE RIGHT ONE BECAUSE I LEFT MINE AT THE CHOW-HALL WHERE HE'D JUST COME FROM. HE SAID NO I'M SURE THIS IS MINE..AND DON'T WE SALUTE OFFICERS ANYMORE?
FEELING LIKE A COMPLETE IDIOT I STEPPED BACK RENDERED MY SALUTE AND APOLOGIZED PROFUSELY. FORTUNATELY HE WAS AN OFFICER AND A GENTLEMAN DID'NT REPORT MY AIRMAN BUTT.

A friend told me this story so I can’t take credit for it, but it was too funny not to share. Two Marines, with one of them Marine having his arm in a cast, were walking when an officer began walking toward them. Without hesitation, his buddy saluted smartly while ensuring that he saluted as well. He extended a salute with his left hand and touched the brim of his cover...flawlessly. It happened as if they had been in the barracks all night practicing until they had it down perfect.

When I was in basic, I was walking alone to go pick up my glasses. I came across a group of Airmen and as I approached, one of them called the group to attention, and they saluted me - I was an Airman Basic. I then saluted them back as I was laughing inside.

I was at Ft Eustis, VA in Turbine engine school. Our training officer, a new 2nd Lt took us down a wrong street, and as such we were late for class. He carried a riding quirt that he slapped his pant leg to keep time. We were double timing to the correct location when the Post Commander approached in his car, and the 2 Lt saluated him with his left hand while double timing. The Commander stopped, had us stop while he chewed out the 2 Lt for a while. When we finally got to class, every one there knew about it. His nickname for the rest of our schooling was Lt Lefty.

1968 and my ship, USS Braine DD 630 was tied up at the end of the pier, behind the USS Constellation in San Diego. As my buddie and were walking down the pier, I noticed a most beautiful girl with hazel green eye, about 5"4", really pretty. Unfortunately I failed to notice the scrambled eggs on the brim of her cap and the LTCMDR collar insignia. As we passed next to her my buddy saluted but I didn't, I was to busy admiring her beauty. "Sailor!", catching my attention, "Don't you salute an Officer of the United States Navy?". I snapped to attention and saluted. She came up to me just under my chin and said "So, what's your excuse sailor for not saluting an officer?" By this time an audience had gathered and was watching from the carrier lower decks. "I have no excuse Mam . . . I mean Sir . . Sir Mam!" and saluted again and held it waiting for her acknowledgement. "What is your excuse Sailor!", at a higher tone of voice. "Sir . . .Mam, I have no excuse" and I said the only thing that was on my mind and said to her, "You have beautiful eyes, Sir . . Mam, Sir". My knees were shaking, my buddy next to me didn't know weather to laugh or start running. "Well, at least your honest". Returned my salute. Smiled. "Be on your way and don't let this happen again, sailor". "Yes Mam, Sir". As we started walking the crowd just above us were laughing. And I was shaking and my buddy was just laughing. I will never forget this. I was a "boot", E3 at the time.