President Obama’s less-than-formal salute is getting quite a buzz this morning.
The White House posted a video on Instagram of the President exiting Marine One in New York while he made his way to the U.N. General Assembly. With a coffee cup in his right hand, he saluted the Marines standing at the bottom of the helicopter’s stairs.
Saluting military officers became a tradition when Ronald Regan started it in 1981. It’s a symbol of the President’s thanks for their service.
As cited by the Daily Caller, the salute is one of the most formal courtesies.
“The salute formally recognizes the officer as a military superior, and returning the salute expresses the officer’s thanks for the junior’s support,” according to the manual.
However it does not say you’re required to salute when “carrying articles with both hands or being otherwise so occupied as to make saluting impractical.”
This is not the first time Obama has done wrong while saluting. In the past he has passed military officers without blinking an eye, which went noticed as well.
