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Abstract

The article examines the stylistic variations of the military custom of saluting, which both reflects the military hierarchy and provides a medium for the expression of individuals' attitudes toward the system. Specific examples, conventions, and categories of saluting are presented, drawn from the author's previous experience as a United States Army officer, with reference to official guidelines and discussions with other military personnel. Common instances of individual manipulation of the standard rules for saluting are considered signs of structural ambiguity and of overlapping-and sometimes contradictory-systems of military power, values, and authority. Based on evidence of a complex interplay of social definitions in a relatively closed and regimented system, the author warns against using rigid or deterministic models of the relationship between individual action and social structure.

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Saluting in Social Context

Abstract

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