When is it correct to salute with your left hand?

When acknowledging the existence of a cadet...

SGT, can't give you a reference but here I go. You report to pay call back in the days of being paid in cash, you salute the pay officer with your right hand - that pay officer returns a salute left handed. They salute left handed so the right hand can be free for cash and their 45.

When a right handed Bosun is piping aboard a Flag Officer, if the Bosun is left handed naturally the right hand salute would be given.

When you are carrying a guidon

Order arms with your weapon

In Navy left hand salute ok under several circumstances, right occupird, piping side, etc

when you are at right shoulder arms

To salute with you left hand,only two times are authorized in any form of formation. 1. its limited to a Boatswains mate piping a senior officer aboard with the pipe in the right hand and salute with the left hand. (Even going way back to the Bluejacket's Manual I believe) 2. The drum major in the old Guard fife and drum Corp. If not in a formation While under arms at carry arms with a rifle, a salute is made with the left hand across You chest with the finder tips touch the area below the lower end of the bolt or at order arms across to touch with You finger tips the area below and to the rear the front site of the rifle. with a guidon in carry also reach straight across Your chest and the arm should be horizontal to the ground and the finger tips just touch the staff of the guidon At order guidon and not in formation, again across Your body with finger tips touching the inside edge of the guidon (part closest to Your body) This is IAW for Army FM3-21.5 (same with the old FM22-5, Drills and ceremonies) and with the Air Force AFM 36-2203. (Drills and ceremonies) There is no specific authorization to salute with the left hand in the Army or Air Force and the right hand should be empty to render a salute. If a person is missing a right arm most will accept that and its not considered disrespectful but not specifically authorized.

Actually, this is a good thought provoking question. For some, a quick witted response would suffice. I bet it got some people digging in the regs....after the quick witted response, lol.

you are at trail arms right side you salute with left hand to weapon