The modern tradition of military salutation originated in Great Britain.
Previously, in almost every part of the world, lower-ranking soldiers were required to remove their hats when greeting higher-ranking officers, especially in Great Britain. In the 18th–19th centuries, the British Army's headgear was so large that removing and putting it back on repeatedly caused inconvenience. Therefore, the practice of saluting in the military was simplified by touching the fingertips of the right hand to the forehead.
It is known that military salutation was officially introduced for the first time in 1745 in the Coldstream Regiment, the personal guard unit of the Queen of England’s elite guards. The regiment's regulations stated:
"The personnel are ordered that when saluting or addressing officers, they shall no longer remove their hats; instead, they shall simply touch the brim of their hat with the fingertips of their right hand".
In 1762, the regulations on military salutation in the Scottish Guards became even stricter. The regulation stated:
"Since frequently removing the hat is inconvenient and the hat's brim quickly becomes dirty, it is hereby ordered that during a military salute, merely touching the hat with the palm shall suffice."
Although there was opposition to this order, it remained in effect.
By the mid-19th century, certain changes were made to the British military salute. Henceforth, during a salute, the right hand was raised so that the fingertips touched above the right eyebrow and the headgear, with the palm facing outward. This tradition remains in place to this day.
In the United States, servicemen raise their hands to the middle of their forehead while saluting, with their palms facing downward toward the ground. This method of salutation was adopted by Americans from the British Royal Navy. During the era of sailing ships, sailors used tar to seal wooden parts of the ships to make them water-resistant and prevent leaks. To keep their hands clean from tar, sailors wore white gloves. When saluting during work, to avoid exposing their dirty palms, they would turn their hands downward at a 90-degree angle. Thus, the custom of wearing white gloves and saluting in this manner emerged and has since become a tradition.
In Tsardom of Russia, soldiers saluted by placing two fingers (the index and middle fingers) to their forehead above the eyebrow. This tradition still exists in Poland today.
In Azerbaijan, the military salute is performed in accordance with Azerbaijan Armed Forces. All branches of the armed forces, as well as police and special service personnel, comply with the saluting rules specified in these Regulations. The Regulations state:
• Every serviceman is obliged to salute senior commanders or superiors.
• When saluting, the fingers of the right hand must be kept together and brought close to the headgear so that the middle finger is a few millimeters above the end of the eyebrow, with the palm not visible and the arm parallel to the ground.
• If a serviceman is not wearing headgear, he must observe the approaching superior while standing at attention and wait until the superior passes.
• If a serviceman is passing by a senior officer, he must begin saluting three steps before reaching the officer, continue marching, and after taking a total of six steps, he may lower his hand and pass by.
AzEns.az/ Jalya Orujeva