Mr. President, you should be ashamed of yourself.
For anyone who does not understand why this is kind of…. no, not kind of… most definitely, it is, a BIG deal, I’ll explain, from a military person’s point of view.
What I’m talking about, in case you haven’t heard about it, is President Obama saluting Marines with his coffee cup in his hand. (video link here)
Yes, he is our President. And yes, as such, deserves the respect that the position commands.
You may say “Well, he’s never served in the military, so how would he know? Shouldn’t he get a pass for not knowing the protocol?”
No, he absolutely should NOT. Here is why:
As President, he also holds the title of Commander-in-Chief, which is a military title.
When in the military, two of the very first things you learn is:
1. Your chain of command, starting with your immediate supervisor, all the way up to the highest commander of each branch of the military: Army, Air Force, Marines, Navy, and Coast Guard.
Their supervisor is the Secretary of Defense, followed by the Vice President, and ultimately the President of the United States,or in the military capacity, the Commander-in-Chief.
2. The military salute, which will be explained in a moment.
Enlisted servicemembers are required to salute all officers, and officers are required to salute officers senior to them. The Commander-in-Chief is the most senior ranking military person and is considered an officer, even though he or she may have no prior military service.
It is common military courtesy, but not required, for the ranking officer to return the salute. Generally though, it is considered rude and disrespectful for the salute to NOT be returned.
(note: Policies and procedure on saluting vary from one nation’s military to another. I am speaking only regarding the United States military)
There is only ONE correct way to salute. Taken from the Army Study Guide:
“The proper way to salute when wearing the beret or without headgear is to raise your right hand until the tip of your forefinger touches the outer edge of your right eyebrow (just above and to the right of your right eye). When wearing headgear, the forefinger touches the headgear slightly above and to the right of your right eye. Your fingers are together, straight, and your thumb snug along the hand in line with the fingers. Your hand, wrist, and forearm are straight, forming a straight line from your elbow to your fingertips. Your upper arm (elbow to shoulder) is horizontal to the ground.”
For more about the history of the military salute, click the “Army Study Guide” link above or here. Great information on this.
Sometimes people get lackadaisical and a bit lazy about it, not raising their arm all the way up or not having their hand as straight as technically it should be. Those types of things are commonly overlooked. However, having something in the saluting hand would NEVER be tolerated.
When I was in the Army, if I had saluted that way, I would certainly have been admonished, corrected and made to demonstrate the correct way to salute.
That being said, President Obama, out of respect to our country, respect to our nation’s veterans, past and present, respect to those who have given their all paying the ultimate sacrifice in order to preserve the rights and freedoms that we all enjoy, has the responsibility, which he assumed upon taking the Oath of Office, since he had no prior military experience, to educate himself on proper military customs and courtesies.
The President of the United States should lead not only from the position of authority, but by example and by character.
His blatant disregard for either refusing to learn those responsibilities, and neglecting to properly salute those remanded to protect him and our country, is flat-out disrespecting not only those soldiers in that particular instance, but ALL veterans past and present, all those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice, and our great nation.
Mr. President, for a man who is so concerned about “offending” people, you certainly have no qualms about offending those of us who have served or are currently serving our great nation, and zero concerns about offending our Constitution, our flag, or our country for which these things stand.
You owe a sincere apology to all military servicemen and women under your command, veterans such as myself, and to our nation. You have offended us once again.
My thoughts on whatever 
