After four
long years at the Air Force Academy, I’d finally graduated and was on
my way. As a brand new Second Lieutenant, I set off
towards my new career with a silver dollar burning a hole in my
pocket. Though some of the readers of this publication may
regularly walk around with special coins, this 2007 Silver Eagle was
earmarked for a specific purpose—my first salute.
The US military has a long running tradition of presenting a dollar
coin to the first enlisted member who gives the new officer a
salute. Basically, you have to buy your first salute and
earn them thereafter. According to one Army officer’s guide, the
presentation of the coin symbolically acknowledges the receiving the
respect due the new officer’s position.
The tradition may have begun with British Colonial forces with the US
Army adopting the tradition in the Nineteenth Century. In fact, early
Army officers were given a small stipend of a dollar in order to pay
the enlisted man who had trained him. Though officers are no
longer given this “additional pay”, the Navy adopted the tradition some
time before World War II whereas the Air Force has continued the
practice due to its Army roots. Since silver dollars no
longer circulate, the American Silver Eagle is often the coin of
choice, as it is denominated “One Dollar” and may be dated the year
that the officer was commissioned. However the selection of the
type of dollar coin to present is left to the preference of the newly
commissioned officer.
So, despite all the graduation festivities, I still had not had the
honor of receiving that first salute by the time I had left the Academy
in Colorado Springs. However, while home on leave, a situation
arose requiring me to go on base. I set off to scenic Vandenberg
AFB with my new butter bars on my collar and my shiny 2007 silver
dollar. As I walked from my car, a Master Sergeant saluted and
greeted me as he passed. After returning the salute (with a bit
of a stupid grin on my face) I asked the sergeant to “hold on a
second.” Hesitantly he turned back around to see what I
wanted. After explaining that he was the first to salute me, I
handed him the dollar. Excitedly he accepted the token of
appreciation and declared this was the first silver salute coin he had
received. After a brief discussion we were on our way.
Though the whole thing lasted less than a minute, it is an instant in
time that I will never forget.
JOEL ANDERSON
INTERESTING WORLD COINS
& PAPER MONEY
www.joelscoins.com
Joel Anderson
PO Box 365
Grover Beach, CA 93483-0365 USA
phone 1 805 489 8045
fax 1 805 299 1818
email: orders@joelscoins.com
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