Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been tagged as “color guard”
Today’s US military flagstaff, the light ash wood guidon staff with the flat, silver spearhead, comes from a time when polearms were the weapon of choice for infantry and cavalry. The image at the top of the page is a painting by Italian painter Augusto Ferrer-Dalmau called Batalla de Rocroi. The painting was created in 2011, and the battle was …
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 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.
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!
There seems to be confusion on the announcements or commands to present and post the colors. Let’s iron that out.
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.
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 …
Let’s talk about Countermarch and the Wheel for a 5-man color guard for the Marine Corps, Navy, and Coast Guard. The Photo at the top of the page shows a color guard with Marine Forces, Europe and Africa, retire the colors during an Assumption of Command Ceremony MarForEURAF at Panzer Kaserne, Stuttgart, Germany. There are big problems in the photo. …
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 diamond formation is an alternative for traveling that is quite unique. When properly done, it looks good. It is used for traveling only, as it is not an appropriate static formation. Static formations are fully explained in service drill and ceremonies manuals. Is it authorized?