What is the rule on saluting another battalion’s colors while on road guard?

2016-09-30T18:48:22-04:00

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 30 at 2016 6:48 PM

2016-09-30T18:48:47-04:00

What is the rule on saluting another battalion’s colors? Scenario, you are road guard, a unit runs past you with their unit colors, are you saluting the commander or that units flag? Had a soldier get yelled at because they didn’t snap to fast enough and salute their colors by who I assume was the CSM, soldier did salute just not as fast as the CSM would have liked, and then went to parade rest after the colors had passed. Where is this covered? I have looked in AR 600-25, FM 7-21.13, and googled 100 different ways and can’t seem to locate this information. Also, if a road guard is faced away due to blocking traffic or looking around for traffic (it was a busy street) and they don’t salute because they are trying to keep people from getting hit, are they wrong for not saluting?

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Sep 30 at 2016 6:52 PM

2016-09-30T18:52:37-04:00

I have never seen this in the Navy, but if the road guard was engaged in their duty of keeping their fellow soldiers safe, I would think there could be a CSM to CSM talk (as would happen in the navy) to ensure the individual who was offended understands why the soldier did not render honors if required. I think this is an issue where common sense should (loosely) apply...

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Sep 30 at 2016 10:00 PM

2016-09-30T22:00:20-04:00

General Order 10 for Sentries (Emphasis added). I believe in the loosest terms a "Road GUARD" is a Sentry.

To salute ALL officers and all colors and standards not cased.

However, never put life, limb, or sight at risk to render honors (Saying "By your leave" is considered acceptable in Naval tradition).

That said, better safe than sorry. It is the National Ensign.

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Oct 1 at 2016 9:32 PM

2016-10-01T21:32:06-04:00

Must be a difference in services on this. In the Army, at least in the 80s-90s, unit colors wre not saluted, only the US flag. In AR 600-25, in the section about rendering salutes to uncased colors, it specifically defined the term colors as referring to the US flag.

On unit runs, etc, if a formation was being led by say a Bn Cdr with his colors along side him, the person leading another unit would salute the officer, not the colors, and the other officer would return the salute.