How (and who?) do you salute?

The TV sitcom MASH hadn't even been produced yet. But in 1966 when I entered the United States Air Force, our basic training group could have certainly been the precursors of that extremely successful show. There we were - doctors, dentists and nurses, all newly commissioned officers, being taught how to set up a mobile hospital. To simulate the jungles of Vietnam, our basic training was done in the 100-degree summer heat at Sheppard Air Force Base (AFB), Texas. That was the easy part. Teaching us who to salute? That was another story. We were told to initiate a salute when addressing anyone of higher rank. Whew! That was easy since, as a captain, I was a higher rank than most troops. Most of the time I just had to wait and see what the approaching uniformed personnel did.

So, when I was stationed at Selfridge AFB, Michigan, I was ready. Unfortunately, a contingent of South Korean troops was also there. I just figured that the more stripes, medals and insignia on their chest and sleeve, the higher their rank must be. And, boy, did their uniforms look "busy." A month later, we were walking with the hospital's Non-Commissioned Officer in Charge (NCOIC) who watched in disbelief as we saluted everyone we passed. Waiting for the appropriate moment, he politely informed us "short-timers," that this Korean contingent did not include ANY officers! For a month, every doctor in the hospital was saluting every Korean soldier in sight.

We called him "Sgt. Bilko." It did not take us long to realize that our beloved NCOIC not only ran the show, but he got us "Alan Alda types" out of all sorts of trouble.

« Previous story
Next story »