The protection of the “colors” on a military color guard is deeply symbolic, stemming from centuries, even millennia, of military tradition and reflecting core values of honor, loyalty, and the identity of the unit and nation.
The Gould and Goodrich Review
I must say, I’m impressed with these products!
The Joint Formation
There might be some confusion as to what a joint formation looks like and when one is authorized so we will break it down here. The photo at the top of the page shows the Old Guard and Marine Barracks Washington companies with a barely visible Navy Ceremonial Guard company at the left of the photo marching in a parade …
Equipment for EMS Color Guards
The Emergency Medical Service (EMS) color guard holds a unique and often unrecognized place in ceremonial traditions. While frequently mistaken for firefighter units due to similar appearances, a closer look reveals their distinct identity: the blue Star of Life on a white background patch. This emblem proudly signifies their life-saving mission.
The Manuals a Veteran Organization Should Have On Hand
Veteran service organizations regularly form color guards and even perform military funeral honors daily throughout the year. The training the teams receive should come from established military manuals. This is a list of the manuals the organization may want to have on hand. All available as a free PDF download here: https://thedrillmaster.org/downloads/ Army Standards – most prevalent Marine Corps Standards …
The DrillMaster Book List
The books that I’ve been working on and publishing are to educate as many people as possible right now and in the future. Some of the information exists nowhere else than these books. Let’s educate and improve our performances in Ceremonial Drill, Regulation Drill, and Exhibition Drill.
“Colors” vs “Color Guard” as a Command
Deciphering information in the Army’s TC 3-21.5, Drill and Ceremonies (D&C) can take time and effort because not all passages are written as clearly as one might like. The use of the terms “colors” and “Color guard” are part of this. The Army isn’t alone in this, the other two D&C manuals are just as guilty!
Parading vs Presenting or Posting the Colors
There seems to be confusion on the announcements or commands to present and post the colors. Let’s iron that out.
The Wear of Hats
The issue is that the service drill and ceremonies manuals do not specifically state that a color guard must be covered (wear their headgear: hats, helmets, or berets) all the time when presenting the colors. In this article, I go over the standards of being covered and when we can remove the cover.
Color Guards Overseas and the Foreign National Color
This information affects all bases overseas for all services. A Little History For decades the conventional wisdom has been that when we are overseas, we are told that when we are on US soil (the base, an American cemetery, etc.), the US is on the right and as soon as you step onto foreign soil (outside the gate), you have …