Not trying to be a stickler here but it is an honest question.
My son was in the Memorial Day parade with the rest of his scout pack. At the head of the column and the tail are the national colors. I walked with the other parents in the tail in a meandering group. Officers were stationed at the lights on the parade route to make sure fools didn't smash into kids or 90 year old vets. Anyway, I notice, without fail, that older officers came smartly to attention when the colors arrived and held the salute until they had passed. I also noticed that, without fail, younger officers failed to render a salute (ratio was 4 out of 10 failed to salute). Anyway, my question is: What is the etiquette here or is there something else at play (e.g., do you think the older guys were in the service while the younger guys were not)?
My son was in the Memorial Day parade with the rest of his scout pack. At the head of the column and the tail are the national colors. I walked with the other parents in the tail in a meandering group. Officers were stationed at the lights on the parade route to make sure fools didn't smash into kids or 90 year old vets. Anyway, I notice, without fail, that older officers came smartly to attention when the colors arrived and held the salute until they had passed. I also noticed that, without fail, younger officers failed to render a salute (ratio was 4 out of 10 failed to salute). Anyway, my question is: What is the etiquette here or is there something else at play (e.g., do you think the older guys were in the service while the younger guys were not)?