Salute – a gesture of respect and trust
One of the first associations to the army and military life is saluting or greeting, and a soldier with his arm outstretched and brought to the forehead was an inspiration for many works of art throughout history, as well as in modern and applied art. Although it is prescribed by regulation, salute is not simply an honour exchanged. It is not only a privileged gesture of respect and trust among soldiers, but is also recognition of each other’s commitment, abilities and professionalism.
Some historians believe the hand salute began in late Roman times when assassinations were common. A citizen who wanted to speak to a public official had to approach him with his right hand raised to show that he did not hold a weapon. The name salute originates from that period because the Romans, besides greeting by right hand raised in elbow and with open palm also uttered a greeting "salute". Bringing the right hand to the forehead, as part of the greeting, according to some interpretations, derives from the knightly custom to open visor on the helmet while passing by so that the knights could look into each other’s eyes and show that they are well-intentioned. For the same reason, the palm of the hand which raises the visor was turned outward to show that it does not hold any weapons. This practice of greeting a comrade gradually became a way to show respect, and sometimes involved also raising the hat. In the mid-19th century, the motion was modified to touching the hat, and since then it has become the hand salute used today. In the army, by introducing tricorn hat as part of the uniform, such way of greeting has been established as an expression of respect toward an officer, flag and the country.The salute is widely misunderstood outside the military. Some consider it to be a gesture of servility since the junior extends a salute to the senior, however, the salute is an expression that recognises each other as a member of the profession of arms, that they have made a personal commitment of self-sacrifice to defend their country. The fact that the junior extends the greeting first can be regarded as a point of etiquette, and a salute returned is the appreciation of the shown respect. The way of salute says a lot about the soldier himself. A proud, smart salute shows that the soldier is proud of being a member of a particular unit, and is also a reflection of confidence in his abilities as a soldier. On the other hand, a sloppy salute can be interpreted as a manifestation of being ashamed of belonging to this formation, or lack of confidence, or at least that one have not learned how to salute correctly. As pointed out by interpreters of body language and nonverbal communication, open hand indicates loyalty, forehead is a symbol of will, and bent thumb is a gesture of subjugation of own "I".
