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Incorrect. Gun salutes are fired by saluting artillery batteries or naval guns, not rifle details. You must have briefly forgotten what you were taught at Quantico; rifles are not guns. Guns are large caliber crew served weapons. As wingers we sometimes forget.

The 21-Gun Salute

W. V. H. White

Editor's note: We frequently receive questions about customs, terminology, traditions and related subjects. In an effort to preserve tradition and help our readers understand their heritage, from time to time we will discuss one or more of these items. Further, we invite your questions and will print answers to the most interesting ones.

Sometime back, a reader asked who rates a 21-gun salute. We'll answer that, but it is probably not the question she meant to ask.

Gun salutes are fired by naval guns and/or by saluting batteries with artillery pieces. Twenty-one guns are a national or royal salute. The only individuals entitled to this salute are Presidents or former Presidents of the United States, heads of foreign states and members of a reigning royal family. That's it. Some other personal gun salutes rated are 19 guns for the Vice President and the same for the Secretary of the Navy. The Commandant of the Marine Corps and Chief of Naval Operations also rate 19 guns while other generals and admirals rate 17. Lieutenant generals rate 15, major generals 13 and brigadier generals 11.

That's a very short, partial explanation of gun salutes for individuals. Now we'll try to answer the question we believe the reader really meant to ask.

The real question is who rates the three volleys fired at a military funeral. Anyone entitled to military honors is entitled to the volleys, subject to the availability of a firing detail. Somehow this has become confused with a 21-gun salute. We even receive news releases from official sources referring to the volleys as such.

The three volleys fired at a funeral are just that, nothing more. They are not a 21-gun salute or any other gun salute. The funeral volleys are believed to have originated as an ancient superstition where firearms were discharged to frighten evil spirits away from the grave.

Why then are so many people today confused and erroneously call the three volleys a 21-gun salute? Who knows? Possibly because someone saw a seven-member detail fire three rounds at a funeral. He may have multiplied the three rounds by seven and decided that this must be a 21-gun salute. And it caught on and spread-and spread. Never mind the fact that he should have been taught at boot camp that a rifle is not a gun. Also, firing details can consist of any number of riflemen, but in years gone by the standard was eight riflemen with a noncommissioned officer in charge. How do you conceivably get a 21- gun salute out of these? You don't.

http://www.mca-marines.org/Leatherneck/21gunarch.htm