Salute. The salute is a traditional greeting between military personnel. The salute is deeply rooted in military history as warriors raised their right arms to show that no weapon was present, knights raised their visors with their right hand as a sign of greeting, and when American soldiers removed their "3-corner" hats to greet others as a show of respect. Saluting is a way of saying "hello" while showing respect to officers senior in rank. Sometimes the hand salute is rendered to honor the colors, a mark of respect for our country. The way cadets execute a salute is important. A smart salute indicates pride in self and corps. A sloppy, lackadaisical salute indicates lack of confidence and pride. Cadets should develop the habit of carrying books or other objects with the left hand to free the right hand for saluting. When wearing the uniform outside, and not under cover, cadets will salute --
The President of the United States.
All commissioned and warrant officers of the United States military services and friendly foreign nations.
Cadets will not render a salute indoors except when formally reporting to an AFJROTC instructor, during uniform inspection, and during drill.
The salute is done in the following two counts --
Count 1. Raise the right hand smartly and directly to the forehead while at the same time extending and joining fingers. While keeping the palm flat, form a straight line between the fingertips and the elbow. As the hand gets close to the face, tilt the palm slightly toward the face and hold the upper arm horizontal, slightly forward of the body, and parallel to the ground. Finally, touch the tip of the middle finger of the right hand to the outside corner of the right eyebrow or to the front right corner of glasses.
Count 2. After the individual returns the salute, bring your arm smoothly and smartly downward retracing the path used to raise the right hand and arm.