Saluting while in a group

[NIN]

As I mentioned, usually on AD its not that big of a deal. You just do it, probably 50+ times a day. Its like going to the bathroom: You stop thinking about it.

Then again, I was in Army Aviation. You'd salute the CO for sure on the way across the company parking lot, maybe your LT when you saw him the first time that day, and almost never one of the warrant officers unless you were outside the airfield fence ("on post").  You might actually get a talking to from one of the warrants if you were a little *too* enthusiastic about saluting.

Contrast that with the National Guard, where salutes were very, very, very seldom exchanged, mostly because in my unit, an aviation maintenance unit, we very infrequently encountered our officers "outside" of the armory.  And you never saluted on the flight line side of the hangar. 

I will admit to being a bit of a pain to some of the officers, however.  One of the smoke break areas was outside the front door of the armory, right next to the flag pole.  There would be 2-3 officers and enlisted out there grabbing a smoke, and I'd decide I needed something out of my car in the parking lot.  <salute> "Good afternoon, gentlemen!"  They'd *always* have their cigarettes in their right hands. *Always*.  <*snicker*>