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CHAPTER 7
MILITARY COURTESY
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
Identify the normal courtesies juniors render 6.
to seniors.
7.
Identify the basic rules of conduct for ship-
board officers.
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Describe the basic guidelines for officers’ 9.
relationships with enlisted personnel.
Identify the proper forms of address for 10.
military personnel to both military and civilian
persons.
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Describe the proper procedures for boarding 12.
ships and boats.
Identify the rules for quarterdeck etiquette.
Describe the organization and rules of
etiquette for the wardroom mess.
Identify the rules of boat etiquette.
Describe the conduct expected of naval
personnel in foreign countries.
Describe the origin of the hand salute.
Identify the proper method of saluting.
Identify the times when saluting is appro-
priate and inappropriate.
The essential traits of a naval officer are tact,
loyalty, integrity, tolerance, dependability, good
manners, self-confidence, a sense of humor,
regard for the rights of others, and the ability to
treat everyone as equals.
In a letter to Congress in 1775, John Paul
Jones wrote, “It is by no means enough that
an officer of the Navy should be a capable
mariner. He must be that, of course, but also a
great deal more. He should be as well a gentleman
of liberal education and refined manners,
punctilious courtesy, and the nicest sense of
personal honor.”
This chapter introduces most of the main
aspects of military courtesy and etiquette. It
covers the traditional elements that still survive
and those which have changed with the passage
of time.
NAVAL ETIQUETTE
Military courtesy between officers and enlisted
personnel undergoes little change during wartime.
These relations are the most fundamental part of
all military courtesy and the main source of most
naval etiquette.
The twin foundations of military courtesy
among officers are precedence and deference to
seniors. Officers take precedence according to
their grade. This precedence is not confined
strictly to military relationships on ship or shore,
but extends to the mess, to the club, and to social
life.
Naval courtesy prescribes that junior officers
accord their seniors certain respect. This respect
corresponds to that which younger people accord
to their elders in a polite society. It also prescribes
that seniors acknowledge and respond, with equal
care, to these tokens of respect required of
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