What’s the proper way to correct someone when not saluting an officer?

To address the situation and correct the standard. Just have a simple conversation with the PFC about paying attention to the people around him and keeping head on a swivel. If he didn't identify an officer in a normal setting what will he miss in combat?

A little bit of information is missing. Was the soldier in uniform? was the soldier burdened with her hands full? If either of those, a salute was not mandatory. Aside from that, private counseling is preferred by most in leadership. When treated as a learning experience and not a power trip, the lesson is more likely to be understood and respected.

Back in the day....
I would pull the soldier aside and in a low voice explain that there is only ONE thing in the world that an enlisted person can make an officer do - and that is to return my salute. "By God," I would say, "they wanted to be an officer, and I'm gonna remind them that they have to return my salute!" That would usually bring a spark to the eye and action to the right arm.

It is an embarrassing situation for everyone involved, and has happened to me,-both ways- and I have been embarrassed- both ways. I'd say that the Major's comment was based upon the fact that he was embarrassed, but ultimately I think you did the right thing. When this happens to me, I don't wait, and pop the salute first- watch the kid jump. Strong method to make the point. Quick, too.

You were absolutely correct. I once made the same mistake. I was asked by the offended officer if he didn't rate a salute, a "By your leave sir", or at least a F%$K YOU. I immediately snapped to, rendered a salute, and apologized. We are ALL FNG's at one time.

I know how I would handle it but that is not important. I will leave this here. I had a CSM one time talk about the importance of police call. He said every time you walk by a piece of trash and don't pick it up, you just set a new standard. Letting a soldier walk by an officer and he is not corrected, before long that courtesy will be gone. On the spot correction, butt hurt feelings be damned.

You were in the right. Being aggressive in the correction will bring awareness of the soldiers surroundings to their attention and it may help them focus on “attention to details”. I have read several of the postings for this and it seems to be a trend. The enlisted and Warrants agree with the aggressiveness but many officers preferred the softer, less aggressive approach. This was both a military custom and courtesy but also a training situation. Today, soldiers need to be more aggressive and pay more attention to details of their surroundings more than ever before.

50 years ago in the Marines, you would start with the phrase " Hey Dumbass

Reminds me of one time I was at a training facility. Some Ensign had taken it upon himself to make life hard on a few of our classmates, no idea why he singled them out, but he was constantly finding fault with their salutes, uniform, etc. Worse he was not even assigned to our school. Well after a few days we happened to spy him coming down the street in front of the schools building. We spread out so we were a long line about 15 paces apart, each saluting in turn, and of course him returning each salute.

We discovered that the road was the shortest way back to BOQ and so he passed on a regular schedule. We made it a point to be outside to greet him every time possible. Other classes caught wind and joined in the fun, with at least 50 going out of their way to salute him one day. That was the last day any of us saw him.... Problem solved.

DROP & GIVE ME 50! RRRALFW!