Dr Drill answers two questions this time around..
"Shoulder to Shoulder or Close Interval?"
Dr. Drill,
I have a problem, I am the Commander of the [wing
name deleted] Wing Color Guard and I was told that the position of Attention while in
ranks as a color guard was shoulder to shoulder. We have won wing for 5 years and this is
the first time that it has been brought to our attention. Which is the correct way:
Shoulder to Shoulder or Close Interval when you are in a color guard?
XX Wing Color Guard Commander
Dr. Drill Responds
Although there is better definition of the National Cadet
Competition's Color Guard Competition now than there was in years past, this is still a
somewhat iffy area. There are regs, and then, often, there are "the way things
are done." At the National competition about 18 months ago, the judges were
experts from the AF Honor Guard. They really knew what they were doing! It was
Dr. Drill's impression, however, that the judges used criteria of their own rather than
the criteria established by Civil Air Patrol in the references described below. Dr.
Drill suggests following the dictates of the manuals and "rules of engagement"
provided by National HQ unless you happen to personally know the judges and can get them
to tell you what they're really looking for. (And if you can get it from the judges
mouth, please inform Dr. Drill of what they say!)
The information that you're looking for is provided by CAP
National HQ on the National Cadet Competition web page: http://www.capnhq.gov/nhq/cp/cpc/ncc/nccindex.htm
As you'll see, there are five documents that you need to get your
hands on to be up-to-date on the rules for the National Cadet Competition. These
are:
Rules of Engagement #3 (apparently not yet released)
Rules of Engagement #2 (Dec 98)
Rules of Engagement #1 (Sep 98)
CAPM 50-16, Chapters 16 & 17 (yes, the old outdated one; not
52-16!)
AFMAN 36-2203
Links to these documents are provided at the NCC web page listed
above. As described on that page, the priority order above is to be used to resolve
any conflicts between the listed publications.
So, to answer your question... There appears to
be no reference to the position of Attention while in ranks as a Color Guard in any of the
first four publications (i.e. National HQ has not tried to override the Air Force on this
issue) so we refer to AFMAN 36-2203, section 7.32.2:
"With the flagbearers in the center, the
color guard is formed and marched in one rank at close interval..."
Although many Color Guards are taught to be
shoulder-to-shoulder (and in fact, that "may" be what the judges at the National
level expect), that ain't what the book says. The correct interval is "at close
interval."
Dr. Drill
"Those who can, do. Those who can't, teach!"
Dr. Drill,
I am trying to establish a color guard in my squadron, and I am
in charge of teaching it. The only problem is I can't teach something that I or anyone
else in the squadron doesn't know. Is there some kind of instructional video, or someone
in one of the local military units that might be able to help me?
C/Maj. Lee Confused
Dr. Drill Responds
This is, of course, a serious problem: how to teach that which you
don't know. You could, of course, use the references I provided in the response to the
previous letter, read through the various manuals, and attempt to learn it on your own. It
can be done, although it is difficult to learn that way.
National HQ has a video (which was in short -- or non-existent --
supply at NCC 18 months ago) which Dr. Drill did not find to do a very impressive job of
teaching Color Guard. NHQ was supposedly working on a better one...??? Dr. Drill has never
seen a good instructional Color Guard video, but good video tapes are available of the
Marine Corps Color Guard. You can find a couple of Marine Corps Color Guard videos at http://www.grunt.com/videos.asp.
Also, many teams which have competed at NCC have taken
video. You might try to get your hands on one of those.
The best way to learn Color Guard, of course, is to find someone
who knows it and can teach it to you. Be sure, however, to show the references
listed in the previous letter to anyone who will be teaching you, as things have changed
over the past many years, the procedures differ amongst the various branches of the
military, and Civil Air Patrol rules for the Color Guard Competition differ somewhat from
even the way the AF does it.
Best of 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!"
Dr. Drill welcomes comments and
corrections. Nothing herein is to be construed as the policy of Civil Air Patrol
unless quoted from an up-to-date Civil Air Patrol regulation. Even then, it may not
be the policy of Civil Air Patrol. ALWAYS CHECK WITH YOUR CHAIN OF COMMAND! |
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