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Dr. Drill

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

Dr. Drill,

Our church plans to present a special patriotic service for the Fourth of July. We plan to have a color guard. We also would like to have a special flag presentation using 20 or 30 American flags around the perimeter of the auditorium, brought in to music, then left in stands for the remainder of the service.

My question: is it proper for the color guard to formally present colors after the other flags have already been placed in stands around the room, or do colors need to be presented prior to the bringing in of the other flags?

Thank you for your help.

Phil Michael

Dr. Drill responds


Hi Phil!

Well that's a toughie, Phil. I did a little investigating (well, actually, it was hours and hours of exhaustive research... But that's why CadetStuff pays me the big bucks, right?) and I came up with Title 4, Chapter 1, Section 7 of the US Code - in case you were wondering, neither CAPR 900-2 nor AF Manual 36-2203 were much help on this one. For your enjoyment:

When displayed from a staff in a church or public auditorium, the flag of the United States of America should hold the position of superior prominence, in advance of the audience, and in the position of honor at the clergyman's or speaker's right as he faces the audience. Any other flag so displayed should be placed on the left of the clergyman or speaker or to the right of the audience.

The flag, when carried in a procession with another flag or flags, should be either on the marching right; that is, the flag's own right, or, if there is a line of other flags, in front of the center of that line.

Looks like if you had only one American flag it would be the first flag in and would be placed on the speaker's right with other flags to the left, right? But when you post numerous American flags around a room, there is no more right and left and you end up with 360 degrees of red, white and blue surround sound! A veritable patriotic explosion!

With that in mind, it sounds like the twenty some-odd American flags placed around the auditorium are taking a backseat to the one brought in by its own special entourage of cadets, er...color guard. So Dr. Drill recommends that the more prominent American flag be brought in first, in the front of the "line" of flags, and be posted by the color guard. Then bring the other flags in to the music.


Preferably something patriotic...

And blaring...

Like AC/DC!

Good luck!

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!

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