THE SALUTE

Auckland Star, Volume LXXIII, Issue 170, 21 July 1942, Page 3

THE SALUTE

DISCIPLINE VALUE LINKS MEN AND OFFICERS MELBOURNE, July l.\ The decision to restore the obligation of soldiers to salute officers in the street is welcomed by senior officers, who have consistently objected to the non-saluting regulation, not because of rank consciousness, but because they hold that saluting is inseparable from discipline. "Saluting is not a show of subservience, but an indication of confidence between men and their leaders." one high ranking officer told a Herald war correspondent. "The knowledge that they may be called upon at any moment to give or return a salute keeps men on the alert in the streets. A proper salute, with each man looking the other in the eye, not only cannot be accepted as class distinction, but is actually a close link between the officers and the men, and breaks down, rather than builds up, a fancied feeling of inferiority. "It certainly does not interfere with individualism. The British Tommy—still one of the world's best soldiers—is steeped in discipline, but he will stand up for his rights in no uncertain manner. "Saluting is only a reflection of inward discipline and mutual respect, and discipline means the difference between an army which can hang on to the last ditch and one that retreats in disorder. The initiative and independence of the Australian soldier are our best attributes. When it is allied to discipline, both in officers and men, an army is magnificent."