What is your funniest salute story?

Trying to get a flight off on time with a can of oil running saluted commanding officer on the run called back and asked where I took my basic training explained hurry but told you didn't get there any sooner I saluted and carried on

During a break in basic training at Sampson AFB, NY in July 1951 we were allowed a family visit break. I was in my class A's with my parents in a nearby city and proud to be in uniform. As we came around a corner I saw a decorated man in uniform. I snapped my best salute and then realized that he was a Sgt. I was so embarrassed.

we entered a suspected VC village and confiscated weapons and 2 large containers (made of what I call pottery) of rice. Big 6 was coming (along with more brass) to pick up the rice. As the chopper sat down near the rice, ME being a young strong farm boy elected to pick it up by myself. Just as I got it high enough to set it in apparently it broke with rice all over on the ground. The brass looked at me and puff they were gone. My best friend (Greg) and a few others were rolling on the ground laughing hysterically. Then the old man told (ordered me) to burn it. Needless to say LT didn't talk to me for a couple of days.

My brother swore he would never have to salute me. He was enlisted Navy in the Submarine Service. I knew he was wearing his uniform to my sister’s high school graduation. I flew in from Japan to attend her graduation and was in my Summer White’s. When I appeared as a surprise he had no option but to salute me.

As a very recently minted E-3 Naval Reservist, I was mobilized for Desert Storm with the 2d Marine Aircraft Wing out of MCAS Cherry Point. However, my only transportation at the time was a car my parents owned - complete with my father's blue stickers and O-6 'crow' decal. I had to drive around with those stickers for almost three weeks before I could get to Pass & ID for new enlisted ones. Which means, for almost three weeks, every time I drove through those gates, I was treated to a sharp salute by the Marine on duty, quickly replaced by confusion as he realized my uniform didn't match the stickers, succeeded by a glare of the pursest loathing as he realized he had just saluted a car driving by a lowly E-3 squid. Priceless!

I was in basic training at Sampson AFB, NY July 1951. Came time to be issued our dog tags. We were standing outside and the SGT said that when he called our name to raise our hand and say, "Here sir." It went fine until he called a name and, nothing! He called the name several more times until the guy finally put his hand up and said, Here sir." The Sgt marched in front of the offending recruit and shouted, "Grab yo left hand on yo right ear. Now grab yo right hand on yo left ear. NOW PULL YO HEAD OUT YO ASS." Funny now but not then.

In 1973, I was stationed at Naval Air Station (NAS) Pensacola, attending the Naval Photography school there. NAS Pensacola is also the home base for the Navy's Blue Angels.

Being an enlisted puke, you got used to saluting almost everything in officer togs. The Blue Angels stood out because of their unique blue flight suits. It became the custom of the young enlisted guys approaching a Blue Angel pilot to snap a sharp salute. When the officer responded and released his salute, we would release ours by banking our hand away from our hat brim and shooting it up and away in the manner of a jet breaking off during an aerial demonstration.

As Blue Angel pilots of the time were seasoned combat pilots, they also had a bit of a sense of humor, not normally installed on a regular Naval officer, so they they generally got the joke and laughed off the nonmilitary gesture.

In late 2002 I was in 3d ACR. We went to JRTC with 10th mountain while there my Bradley gunner and I were "killed: and had to report to the personnel assembly area to await being reassigned to our unit, we were mistakenly delivered to the 10th mountain assembly area. We were in our Green CVCs with our green spell vests that covered our names and ranks because the armor CVC looks alot like a flight suit everyone mistook us "me a PV2 andcmy e5 gunner kept getting saluted and called sir...
It took us several hours to get things straitened out but for 2 or 3 hours we were officers

When I was in Navy boot camp and it was lights out, we had to take turns standing watch and making the rounds in our barracks. Well, each time this one seaman made his round he would 'bug' his buddy and wake him up. Finally on the 3rd round or so his friend who was trying to sleep said, Damn it Billy, I'm tired of you waking me! There was a few moments of silence, then Billy retorted...."Well Bobby, I'm tired of waking you!" And it broke the whole barracks up.

I was a new E-5 SP5 walking down the street on base at Hunter Army Airfield in Georgia soon after my return home from my first tour in Vietnam in 1969. I was a crew chief on Huey's. I volunteered to go back to Vietnam and I was heading to headquarters to pick up my orders. It was a cool morning and I had my hands in my pocket. A new green 2nd lieutenant stopped me and I saluted him, but he preceded to chew my ass out for having my hands in my pockets. I remember him telling me "If you go strolling down the road in Vietnam with your hands in your pockets I would going to get my butt shot off" plus several other words of wisdom to belittle me. He was looking at me from straight on an didn't see my combat patch. After he finished I saluted him again and turned to my left to flash my combat patch in his face I could see him turn red face being embarrassed about telling my about what combat was about with no experience of his own and he immediately left the area. I found the whole ordeal quite humorist.