Are enlisted Soldiers required to salute an Officer cadet?

Lt Col W Scott Arnott - I should also admit my attitude was different from many cadets! I got selected to go to the Academy as an enlisted guy (E-4) out of Vietnam. One of the first things I was warned about was from other prior E's was, don't wear all your ribbons, it only makes you a target. When I was commissioned, the NCOs found out my duty history, gave me crap for not wearing my ribbons. mostly because we had 3 2nd Lts, all prior enlisted and a clueless 1st Lt that thought he was better than than all the enlisted guys! I was trained and/or groomed right by that first operational assignment! It helped me my entire career! I should also add, my Dad was was a Mustang too, enlisted in WW II and an officer during Korea!

I was LE checking on the Post Office when a Capt got in my face and screamed at me for not saluting. When carrying a weapon inside, we didn’t have to take off our beret or salute anyone. That was mid to late 80’s.

CPT Steve Pock most do, but some remain pompous 2nd Lt, then Capt and never change. First hand experience!

"LOCK N' LOAD,"
"Daddy's Home; Let's Get This Show On The Road"

CSM Mike Maynard CSM, I am an SMP Cadet (for the next week) and after I contracted with ROTC, (ie, I AM an ROTC Cadet as well as SMP Cadet. Those two aren't mutually exclusive) I started being paid as an E-5 any time I was on orders (in addition to being paid my MS-level based stipend) whether that was AT, funeral duty, drill, or misc things I did in the National Guard.

For future reference, as of less than a year ago, Cadet Command switched it so the stipend is the same amount regardless of MS-level.

I recall stories of my classmates who went to the "Third Lieutenant Program." They were graduated Juniors (going on to their Senior years in the fall). When in the 3rd LT Program, they got to wear the Cadet rank awarded for their senior year. One of the ladies wore "Cadet Major" which (at the time) were shoulder boards with two broad braids separated by a thin braid. She was assigned to a Navy unit. You guessed it; she said that all the CB's gave her a funny look, and saluted. This is because (at first glace) she looked like a Navy Lt. Commander. She never pushed the issue, but it was a great story next fall.

I was paid E-5 pay while in OCS at Ft.Benning.

1LT Shawn McCarthy - When I was a (prior enlisted active duty) ROTC cadet, I was also in the Army Reserve, under the Simultaneous Membership Program. As a cadet I received the standard ROTC monthly stipend, at the time it was $100 per month, tax exempt. I also received E-5 pay for any duty I performed through the Army Reserve.

The summer of 1961 I was a USNA Mid'n 2/c aboard NAS Pensacola for summer flight school training. There was some friction because the NAVCADS could not solo until after a long training period. We Mids were set to solo much sooner (we had had 2 more years of required training both technical and professional.) I have to agree my classmates were looking pretty salty after a week. We usually finished the day and walked over to the Navcad Messhall for evening meal. I was walking with two classmates one afternoon, and a Navcad stopped us on the sidewalk. He immediately began to read the riot act to one of my two classmates, pointing out that his shirt was dirty and wrinkled his trousers the same, his cap cover was sloppy and his shoes weren't shined, and he was right on all counts. My offended classmate began to explain how USNA Mids outranked Navcads and he had no authority too speak to him in that tone. He was quickly shut down by " You might be right, but I'm just afraid someone will mistake you for a NavCad."

You are exactly right! Prior enlisted have a different view of where they fit and, to be fair, we are also treated better as Brown Bars, if getting commissioned doesn't go to their head! The senior NCOs I worked with, from O-1 to O-5, helped me anyway they could! Even when it meant telling me something I didn't want to hear like, I was screwing up or someone else was and I hadn't noticed! We are a community that depends on each other and that requires respect -- all ways! IMO!!

I just thought, that someday that cadet will be an officer, who you could run into later. Since, contrary to popular opinion, most of these folks are not actually stupid, and have some capacity to remember, any real disrespect you might show could be stored in those memory cells. So, good-natured hazing and other jokes aside, they are people ( perhaps a bit subhuman), and should not be abused (too much). Salutes are not required, but an occasional one would make their day, maybe earn a little gratitude. (Sea service types are midshipmen, not cadets, but, same critters)

MANY years ago I was a midshipman (the navy word for "cadet"), we were very specifically trained about saluting:
1. We were required to salute officers of all the services
2. We were required to salute midshipman officers and cadet officers of all the services
3. No one was required to salute us; but if anyone did salute we were required to return the salute.

If was very rare that navy personnel would accidentally salute a midshipman, but depending on which uniform we were wearing it was pretty common for Army enlisted personnel to salute. I don't believe the Air Force had heard about saluting at that time.