Marching band and drum corps directors, color guard instructors, and flag printing companies have a very big responsibility to not violate Title 4 of the US Code, the Flag Code.
A DrillMaster Study of The Cupped Hand
The US military did not consider the hands until the early 1900s and at that time the description has an open hand curved inward. Below, you can see the development of the cupped hand from the earliest writings to the fully cupped hands of today.
Obtaining Proper Step Length
In this article, I tell you how you can teach someone to march with a 30” step.
Reader’s Digest, you are Partially Wrong
Andy Simmons wrote an article entitled, 12 Flag Etiquette Mistakes You Didn’t Realize You Were Making. He does a good job of identifying 9 subjects but has no idea about three of them.
Olympic Flag Protocol
For international flag protocol, this is accepted. This image is from the International Olympic Committee when the organization announced the USA would have the 2034 Olympic games in Salt Lake City, UT. I am not a fan of this in the least. The Olympic flag is placed to the right of national flags as far as the IOC is concerned. …
Handling the Flag
There are proper ways to handle a flag. This article goes over several proper techniques and shows some that are less than desirable and even inappropriate.
US Air Force Seal, Emblem, and Symbols
The US Air Force has different images that officially represent the military service in formal and informal settings. The Seal, Emblem, and other symbols are all trademarked for official use only. Educational use is authorized as well. Flag making companies are using the USAF Emblem to sell unauthorized cheap flags and members of the American public are buying them.
Salutes for Color Bearers
PGR members line funeral processions and are usually holding flags on makeshift staffs. Nothing wrong with that at all. Specifically, some members want to give more and possibly feel that “just” standing in line with a flagstaff in the right hand isn’t enough. Many members will now hold the staff in the left hand and render some type of salute.
The Disposition of American Flags
There are instances where we may want to “honor” someone by doing something that possibly violates the Flag Code due to ignorance. This article aims to eliminate that ignorance and inform on ways to truly honor the ones who served our country.
Why a Color Guard Does Not Fix Bayonets
Fixed bayonets are not authorized for military color guards, so why would anyone else do it? We can speculate as to why color guards chose to do it, but that’s not necessary. What is necessary is to educate everyone as to why it’s not the right thing to do. We will explore the reasons why a color guard fixing bayonets is not appropriate.