President Obama returned a formal military
salute by disrespectfully saluting with a coffee cup he had in his hand as he
stepped off his Marine Corp helicopter in New
York on Sunday.
(Or Marine Corpse, as he calls it)
My military regulation, you do
not salute when… carrying articles with both hands or being otherwise so
occupied as to make saluting impractical. He did not appear to be carrying anything
else in his hands when he made the unusual salute, so he could have switched
the coffee to his left hand and returned the salute properly.
The President isn’t actually
required to return a hand salute, but since the Reagan administration, it has
become customary. I remember reading shortly after Slick Willie
was elected; he was given a tutorial in how to return the salute properly. Perhaps
ALL newly elected Presidents who have never served in the
military and don’t know squat about the military should be required to have the
same tutorial.
This salute by Obama may
serve as a metaphor for his entire administration: sloppy, ill thought out,
inappropriate, callous, selfish, and disrespectful. No salute at all would be much more
appropriate than saluting with a damned coffee cup.
There
is no requirement to return a salute when not in uniform…although as a sign of
respect, it is appropriate. The salute
should, however, be done appropriately.
The salute is a gesture of
respect and trust among soldiers, so even though as President, he is exempt
from the requirement of returning a salute, if he is going to, he should at
least learn how to do it properly.
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