Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Protocol and Heraldry”
With the football games come the pregame and halftime shows. During pregame, the band creates excitement, expresses school identity, and prepares the audience for the game. Cheerleaders, twirlers, dancers, and the marching-band color guard add movement, color, and spectacle. The combined production may involve hundreds of performers, carefully written drill, and weeks of rehearsal.
A realization finally clicked for me while responding to a Navy JROTC color guard issue.
The team presented the colors with the National Color, the state flag, and the Navy departmental flag. On the surface, many people would look at that and think, “That seems reasonable. National, state, service. What is the problem?” The problem is not simply the order of precedence. The problem is authority.
Should the Invocation Come Before or After the National Anthem?
Speech given by John K. Marshall, The DrillMaster, at the 2026 US Air Force Honor Guard Leadership Summit in Orlando, FL. The complete prepared speech and supporting documentation. The version delivered at the Summit was condensed to meet the allotted 30-minute speaking time.
The term “Joint Civic/Armed Forces Color Guard” sounds official. It sounds inclusive, cooperative, and appropriate for a major public event.
It is none of those things.
I recently saw an image of a casket with the U.S. flag and the Texas flag folded in half and laid on top together. That is not a minor mistake. It’s a complete breakdown of ceremonial understanding.
A DrillMaster Research Memorandum Date: April 21, 2026 I. Purpose This memorandum evaluates the claim that the United States maintains two distinct national flags: The objective is to determine whether any such “peace flag” is supported by statutory law, executive authority, military regulation, or historical precedent, and to identify the origin of the claim. If we have such a flag, …
You are preparing for a Navy Ceremony and need to know where to look for guidance. This article is for you.
A recent post of the Marine Corps Mounted Color Guard on Instagram showed something few may have seen before, and I received a question about it. The photo showed only the mounted color bearers carrying the national and the Marine Corps colors without guards.
There is a misunderstanding that keeps showing up in morning colors and evening colors ceremonies: people see a flag being raised or lowered and folded, and an immediately thought is that the Flag Detail is a color guard, the flag fold is exactly like a funeral honors team, or that the ceremony can take place at a better position for all to see.