05/03/2026
🇺🇸 WHAT ARE VETERANS DOING WHEN THEY SALUTE? 🇺🇸
You may notice it at a ceremony…During the National Anthem…Or as the flag is raised, lowered, or carried past in quiet dignity.
A veteran brings their hand to their brow in a salute.
For many years, tradition and law limited the hand salute to those in uniform. Veterans who were no longer serving—and not wearing an organizational uniform—were expected to stand at attention with the right hand over the heart, honoring the moment in respectful silence.
That changed in 2008.
That year, federal law updated the U.S. Flag Code to allow veterans and active-duty service members who are out of uniform to render a military salute during the raising, lowering, or passing of the American flag. Later that same year, this authorization was extended to include the National Anthem.
So when you see a veteran salute today, they are exercising a hard-earned privilege. They are honoring the flag, fallen friends, shared sacrifice, and a lifetime of service.
Because that salute is not just a gesture. It is a right restored. And a promise remembered. 🇺🇸 It’s a privilege. One earned, and never forgotten. 🇺🇸
Taps for Veterans
The American Legion National Headquarters
Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW
The Marine Corps League
American Legion Auxiliary National Headquarters
