The Silver Salute

By 2Lt. Grace Anderson
(Reprinted from The California Numismatist, Fall, 2007)

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

PO Box 365

Grover Beach, CA 93483-0365 USA

phone/fax 1 805 489 8045
email: orders@joelscoins.com

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