Cadets should not carry the departmental color, what the Army calls the Ceremonial Color, the 4’4”x5’6” or organizational 3’x4’ color with the official (copyrighted) symbol of the military service. Let’s get into why this is a standard that is little known.
The photo at the top is of Liberty University’s AFROTC Detachment 890 color guard. Color bearers should never hold the color to the staff. So, ignore their terrible technique.
See also the article on JROTC Cadets and State Colors.
Service Manuals State:
Each service drill and ceremonies manual states that Soldiers, Marines (Sailors and Coasties), and Airmen/Guardians, carry the colors and rifles for the color guard. More specifically, AR 840-10 forbids an Army JROTC from even owning an Army ceremonial or organizational flag. That AJROTC units must only carry the national and AJROTC.
Army:
“15-13. The Color guard consists of two (three) sergeants and two specialists or privates.”
Marine Corps:
“5. Composition of the Color Guard a. The standard Marine Corps color guard consists of four individuals of approximately equal height. Two noncommissioned officers are the color bearers and two other members, junior to the color bearers, are the color guards. The senior color bearer carries the national colors and commands the color guard. The junior color bearer carries the organizational colors, which is always on the left of the national colors. (See figure 7-4a.) If a female is part of the color guard she wears trousers, and not a skirt, for uniformity.”
For the US Navy, the infantry battalion flag is the only organizational color that can be carried in the formation. This color traditionally does not receive fringe because, historically, it was interchangeable with being carried in a color guard and flown on one of the ship’s masts.
Air Force:
“7.32.1. When practical, the color guard consists of two NCOs (the flagbearers) and two experienced Airmen or Guardians (the guards).” Note: the “when practical” is for the color bearers to be NCOs.
A Side Note Here
While rank matters in the services for color guard positions, it does not matter for cadets in all programs. Cadets with any rank can man any position as long as they have been trained. The cadet with the most experience should be the commander, the US color bearer, and the second most experienced cadet should be the lead/right rifle guard. The other positions can then be manned by those with less experience.
Cadet Programs Represent:
The program and by extension, the service. No one in a cadet program is considered a Soldier, etc. None are considered “junior” either as in a “Junior Guardian” for the Space Force Cadet Corps or SFJROTC. The exception to this is the state-run program called Junior Guard, run by National Guardsmen and similar to ROTC.
The cadet programs are JROTC, Sea Cadets, Civil Air Patrol, Young Marines, Space Force Cadet Corps, and any other state- or privately-run military program. See this article for an expanded list.
Here is where I can voice my distaste for middle and high school-age program cadets wearing service uniforms, especially the utility uniform. Cadets have no business wearing camouflage. Patches on a blouse or shirt are not distinct enough to communicate the status of a cadet. The Army does a good job of requiring a grey shirt to be worn with the Class A and B uniforms. The California Cadet Corps did a good job of creating a generic uniform.
As I wrote above, the Army strictly forbids the carrying of the service colors. I very much appreciate that distinction. Similarly, the Marine Corps also has specific rules for carrying the USMC color and therefor MCJROTC and Young Marine units carry their organizational color with the wording changes on the bottom scroll.
ROTC vs. JROTC
Senior Reserve Officer Training Corps, ROTC. Senior cadets, cadets in college, are officers in training who have signed a contract with their service branch to commission into a career field upon graduation. ROTC cadets are warfighters in training.
Cadets of AROTC, AFROTC, SFROTC, and midshipmen (the naval version of cadet) of NROTC are considered “3rd Lieutenants”. They receive compensation, a certain amount of pay, while at school, attend training during each summer, and upon commissioning are then officers with the authority and responsibility that comes with the rank. The only goal of ROTC units is to prepare cadets/mids for their job in the military.
Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps, JROTC. Junior cadets, cadets in high school, are not in training for anything specific. They learn certain elementary skills that help build character and leadership abilities but nothing about JROTC readies the cadets for entrance into the military except for the brief experience they gain in the program. JROTC cadets are citizens training to be better citizens.
AROTC Colors
AR 840-10 specifically states that the national color can be larger than the other colors. That means the US can be 4’4’x5’6” and the rest of the colors would then be 3’x4’. No other dimensions are authorized for a color guard.
b. National flags listed below are for indoor display and for use in ceremonies and parades. For these purposes, the flag of the United States will be of rayon banner cloth or heavyweight nylon, trimmed on three sides with golden yellow fringe, 2 1/2 inches wide. It will be the same size or larger than other flags displayed or carried at the same time.
(1) 4-foot 4-inch hoist by 5-foot 6-inch fly. This size flag will be displayed with the U.S. Army flag, organizational flag of ACOMs, positional colors (see table 3–1), the Corps of Cadets’ color, the 1st Battalion, 3d Infantry color, the 4-foot 4-inch by 5-foot 6-inch chapel flag and the individual flag of a general of the Army. [All of the flags mentioned are the same dimensions as the US. -DM]
(2) 3-foot hoist by 4-foot fly. This size flag will be displayed with the Army Field flag, distinguishing flags, organizational colors, and institutional flags of the same size. It will also be displayed within the offices listed in paragraph 2–3c below when no other positional or organizational flags are authorized.
4-2. The U.S. Army Field flag, a. (12) Senior ROTC units of universities and colleges in lieu of the U.S. Army flag with streamers. Requisition must be accompanied by a check or money order from the school. Army funds may not be used to purchase the U.S. Army flag with streamers or the U.S. Army Field flag.
We can see here that Illinois state team should have a different set of colors, based on the information above.