Quote:About this saluting business.   The first 38 Presidents did not salute military personnel.   Not even Eisenhower, the former 5 star General, saluted when he was President.   It was Ronald Reagan that started saluting soldiers.   When he found out that Presidents never saluted, he wrote the Commandant of the Marine Corps about it, and the answer he got back was, you're the President, salute if you want to.   So that's how it got started. 

 

But then, why in the world would a civilian salute a military person?   It makes no sense.   What's a civilian doing saluting?  

 

First of all, the President is the Leader of The Military.  After taking the Oath of Office he theoretically is no longer a "civilian" in the way that an average citizen is.  That being said, there is no written "rule" or law that says the President is required to render and/or return a salute.

 

Second, the military salute is a sign of respect for the position or rank that a person holds.  Generally speaking, only officers are saluted and the junior ranking member (officer or enlisted) is the one that renders the salute.  It is customary to acknowledge the salute by returning the salute.  There are cases when this custom might be reversed such as a higher ranking person saluting a member that has been awarded The Medal of Honor.

 

Think of it in terms of saying "thank you" to someone.  It is customary and polite to say "you're welcome".

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