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You can pick your friends and you can pick your nose...

Dr. Drill

You can submit your questions to Dr. Drill via e-mail to : DrDrill@CadetStuff.org.

Dr Drill,

I was wondering, who should be picked to carry the squadron guidon, and what is his position when the Sq CC is facing the squadron in line formation, and column formation? Where does he go or what does he do when the Sq CC falls out? How does he change positions when the Sq CC does say, an about face? Just a few random Q's about the guidon bearer. Thanks!

C/1st Lt John D. Pumphrey, CAP

Dr. Drill responds


Dear John,

Holy carp! Dr. Drill was rearranging some furniture and your letter fell out from behind the family credenza like a piece of VMail from World War II! I'm not sure what happened, John, but I'm placing the blame squarely on the cat - or the maid. Someone other than Yours Truly, anyway.

Finger pointing over, let's take a look at your question, shall we?

Okay, who should be chosen as guidon bearer? Well AFMAN 36-2203 tells us that "The guidon bearer is a specially selected airman designated by the squadron commander." We can assume by this that the guidon bearer should be less than the grade of C/SSgt. Dr. Drill's personal advice would be to pick an airman who is squared away and - just as importantly - physically large enough for proficiently perform the manual of the guidon. You can't have a guidon bearer who's not big enough to handle that big ol'chunk of wood...

So, next question: what is the position of the guidon bearer when in line and column formation. That one's easy. In both cases, he stands one step closer to and one step toward the left of the formation. Take a look at figures 5-2 and 5-4 to see what I mean.

Next: Where does he go or what does he do when the commander falls out and does he change position when the commander faces. Again, not too difficult, but here we have to look at what the drill manual doesn't say as much as what it does say. In this case, the only movements mentioned for the guidon bearer are to come on and go off with the commander, which he does while always staying a step to the left and behind the commander. Other than that, he doesn't change position while in the formation, nor does he face with the commander.

Of course, if the commander tells the guidon bearer to face about or change position, the guidon bearer shouldn't just spout off, "Sir, I'd like to, but Dr. Drill says I should stay put, so pipe down. Oh, and I can do this job as an airman first class, too. When do I get promoted?" Obviously, the guidon bearer should do whatever the commander tells him to do with respect to position and facing. However, in my experience the guidon bearer just sort of stands there and dips the flag once in a while.

I hope this helps, John and sorry about the delay.

Dr. Drill

Caution: Dr. Drill isn't always one hundred percent serious. Please activate your Joke Detectors. And don't call us when you find yourself explaining to a membership termination board why you used a staple gun to keep a cadet's hands at his sides during "To The Rear, March". All we're going to say on your behalf is "Duh!"

And if you find yourself on the bad end of a serious counseling because you decided to go toe-to-toe with your squadron commander over the position of the guide during a squadron-in-mass formation or something similarly trivial, well, we're just going to point, laugh and call you names!

Dr. Drill welcomes comments and corrections. Nothing herein is to be construed as official policy unless quoted from an up-to-date regulation or manual and Dr. Drill is not to be used as a blunt instrument to reshape the pointy heads of your superiors. Dr. Drill has made an extensive study of the drill and knows some people who know some things, but he's not the Final Authority on what happens at your unit. That Final Authority is? That's right, kids! Your UNIT COMMANDER.

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