All About the Color Guard

DrillMasterAsk DrillMaster, Color Guard, Color Guard/Color Team, Honor Guard, Instructional, Protocol and Flag 61 Comments

Please read this article very carefully. The following information is based in regulation drill. Much of the information directly relates to ceremonial unit color guards. Even though this is not about ceremonial drill (honor guard), color guards are ceremonial in nature and all must adhere to the standards. Written in 2018, updated in 2022 for clarity. Definitions Who is Represented? …

The First Certified Pathfinder Drill Specialists!

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The Seventh Day Adventist (SDA) Church has a wonderful youth program called Pathfinders to instill discipline, hard work, teamwork, and a whole host of other positive attributes, all while honoring our Lord and Savior. There are three marching parts of the Pathfinder program: Drill Team, Honor Guard (includes color guard), and Drum Corps (a percussion section). In early 2017, Leanna …

Of Flags and Sharp Objects

DrillMasterAsk DrillMaster, Commentary, Honor Guard, Instructional 2 Comments

Please read All About The Color Guard for complete information on this subject. Can a color team use rifles with bayonets or even use swords or sabers? As the title suggests, flags and sharp objects do not go well together! Never ever, ever, ever put bayonets on rifles or march swords/sabers for a color team! When a color catches the …

Honor Guard Gloves

All About Uniform Gloves

DrillMasterColor Guard/Color Team, Drill Teams, Honor Guard, Honor Guard Training, Instructional 3 Comments

White Gloves I constantly see pictures of cadets, Active Duty, Reserve and Guard, and first responder teams wearing gloves that look terrible. Whether its the “Flag Bearer Gloves” (at right) or the dress gloves with a snap or no snap, they all are either (loose) or a bad idea (look almost “industrial”). The picture at right is a bit misleading …

All About Posting or Presenting Colors

DrillMasterAsk DrillMaster, Color Guard/Color Team, Honor Guard, Honor Guard Training 145 Comments

There is quite a bit of information and several situations that every color team needs to know to maintain the American flag in the position of honor – on the marching right or in front. The American flag never marches any other position. Never. Military and para-military (just about every organization that has its members in uniform) should follow military …

To Fringe or Not to Fringe, That is the Question

DrillMasterAsk DrillMaster, Commentary, Drill Teams, Honor Guard, Instructional 7 Comments

I originally wrote this in December of 2017. This update, December of 2023, includes links to other articles to help fully explain the issues. Please read about the difference between a flag and a color. According to the US Army, fringe is an honorable enrichment only, not an integral part of the color. As it is attached on the edge, …

The Citadel 2017 Bulldog Drill Meet

DrillMasterColor Guard/Color Team, Commentary, DrillMaster Performance Critiques, Judging Leave a Comment

I had the privilege of judging Freshman Color Guard at the Citadel today. I enjoyed myself a great deal and learned a bunch from the instructor from Airport High School AJROTC. My DrillMaster Performance Critiques are linked below. For these files, I’m trying something new. Instead of uploading to my separate server, I’ve uploaded to my website and loaded them …

Wearing the Mourning Band

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First responders have a black band that is worn over or around their badge/shield like what is pictured. The band signifies the loss of a colleague usually through a Line of Duty Death (LODD); the military equivalent to this would be an Active Duty Death. Three questions arise: How long should the department wear the band? Thirty days is the …