MILITARY DISCIPLINE

3. Attainment (cont)
a. Good leadership, based on personality and character. Is essential to the attainment of military discipline. The key to effective leadership is the development of respect and mutual confidence. It is gained when the leader shows in every possible way that he is a member of the unit, and as the ranking member thereof he will leave nothing undone to promote the unit's comfort, welfare, and prestige. Similarly, loyalty and respect are developed through mutual understanding and consideration, through fairness and justice, and by sharing dangers and hardships as well as joys and sorrows.
b. A sense of individual pride and responsibility is essential to good discipline. A soldier must be made to realize that all his acts are reflected on the unit to which he belongs. He must aspire to the trust that goes with responsibility. Pride in his organization is aroused by making him feel that he has some responsibility in developing it. Leaders mast use their ingenuity to create opportunities which place responsibility on individuals appropriate to their training and grade.

c. Good morale is conducive to good discipline. It implies contentment and warrants the leader's closest attention. Suitable living conditions, physical welfare, appetizing food, healthful recreation, and relaxation all contribute to morale.
d. Mutual trust is essential for group unity. It stimulates and fosters that unity of purpose and spirit, which under such names as morale, elan, or esprit de corps, is the very heart of a unit's power.

4. Maintenance
a. Discipline is maintained in much the same manner as it is attained. There is not and should not be a sharply defined line of demarcation between the two. For example, common sense, good judgment, fairness and justice, high morale, pride, and responsibility contribute as much to maintaining discipline as to attaining it.
b. Self-respect must be maintained at all costs. Corrections are made privately whenever practicable and are never personal or degrading in nature.
c. Commendation for duty well performed is equally as important as admonition, reprimand, or other corrective measures for delinquencies. d. Young and inexperienced leaders must realize that while firmness is a military requisite, it does not necessitate harshness of manner or of tone.

5. Relationship between superiors and subordinates
a. A leader sets the example for his men to emulate. To accomplish this, he exhibits cheerfulness, loyalty to subordinates as well as to superiors, strict observance of military regulations, customs, and courtesies, neatness and smartness of appearance, and punctuality. Through loyalty to his subordinates, he will gain their confidence and trust and will make them feel that he demands no more of them than he is willing to do himself. The superior will do much toward creating and maintaining the proper relationship with his subordinates by conducting himself with such dignity and demeanor that his position in the unit is unquestioned. Excessive familiarity between them is avoided. On the other hand, aloofness must be avoided since it will discourage mutual confidence and close relationship between leader and subordinate.
b. Superiors are forbidden to injure those under their authority by tyrannical or capricious conduct or by abusive language. They habitually employ an ordinary conversational manner and tone of voice in addressing subordinates. Firmness and dignity are essential, but an officious, discourteous manner is harmful to the end sought. Arrogance will breed contempt, sap morale, and destroy discipline.

9. Saluting
a. The salute fulfills two functions; to render respect, and to serve as the act of recognition between military personnel. An individual is required to salute when, within the limits of a post, camp, or station, he meets a person entitled to the salute; or when beyond such limits, he is addressed by a senior entitled to the salute. Otherwise, the salute is authorized but not required when outside posts, camps, or stations. Those entitled to the salute are commissioned officers of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. It is also customary to salute officers of friendly foreign countries when they are in uniform.
b. Saluting distance is that distance at which recognition is easy. Usually it does not exceed 30 paces. The salute is rendered before the person to be saluted approaches closer than 6 paces. This permits him time to recognize and return the salute.
c. In executing the salute, the head is turned so as to observe the person. A salute is returned by all officers present entitled to it unless they are in a formation, when the senior only returns the salute except as noted in p below. The salute must never be returned in a casual or perfunctory manner.