 After receiving his commission, Salzer was assigned to the Office of the Chief of Naval Operations until 1942, when he joined the .In March 1943 he assumed command of the coastal minesweeper , and in July 1943 that of the auxiliary motor minesweeper "YMS-347".He then commanded the tank landing ship "LST-624" from June 1944 to December 1945, participating in the Lingayen Gulf landings, the Manila Bay-Bicol operations and the occupation of Okinawa.