Triple Forte Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 So...after a season of attending many dci shows...finally I had a chance of seeing a full corps Olympic retreat. Always cool to see..... But...last Saturday night at the DCI World Class Finals retreat I couldn't help but notice that two corps did not have an Honor Guard (American Flag section). I also observed that one corps had an American Flag bearer with no one guarding the flag. After about 15 minutes....a saber and rifle joined the lone American Flag bearer. Don't know if this is a requirement (Thought it was) but....I saw three American Flags without a spike or eagle at the top of the flag pole. Just an FYI.....one of the two corps who didn't have an Honor Guard was a G8 member and the Honor Guard that had a lone American Flag bearer for a period of time was also a G8 corps. Eagles and spikes not present (Again..not sure if required)...three Honor Guards and all three corps are G8. People....it's DCI finals retreat....can we please show some respect...and get this right....... This should be cakewalk stuff for these so-called drum corps staff geniuses.... 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeatherM Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Also noticed, and I agree. Carrying a "fake" flag with a star missing or one extra star so you don't have to follow flag code is a cop-out as well. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerriTroop Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 This was also an issue at the parade on Saturday. If you're going to carry the flag, those doing so should do it with dignity, and those "guarding" the flag should look like they are actually doing so. I know it's hard to instill in youth, but this is one thing that needs to be carefully discussed and taught. I'm sure there are some people in the drum corps community that would volunteer to travel to any corps near them to help instructors show how it works so it can be passed down. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IllianaLancerContra Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Remember when a judge would go near the AF section and the guard would verbally warn him once, second time rifle butt to the chin? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grumpy Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 This was also an issue at the parade on Saturday. If you're going to carry the flag, those doing so should do it with dignity, and those "guarding" the flag should look like they are actually doing so. I know it's hard to instill in youth, but this is one thing that needs to be carefully discussed and taught. I'm sure there are some people in the drum corps community that would volunteer to travel to any corps near them to help instructors show how it works so it can be passed down. In addition, during the parade, a Canadian-based corps passed carrying both the U.S. and Canadian flag-with the Canadian flag clearly standing higher. It was my understanding, as well as the lady standing next to me who commented on the same thing, that even though they are from Canada, in the U.S. THAT flag should stand higher. I wrote to DCI some months after the 9/11 attack and suggested that perhaps it was time to bring honor guards back to the field, as is done in DCA and with nearly every Alumni corps I have ever seen performing in exhbitions. I was never given the priviege of a reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
soccerguy315 Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 In addition, during the parade, a Canadian-based corps passed carrying both the U.S. and Canadian flag-with the Canadian flag clearly standing higher. It was my understanding, as well as the lady standing next to me who commented on the same thing, that even though they are from Canada, in the U.S. THAT flag should stand higher. I wrote to DCI some months after the 9/11 attack and suggested that perhaps it was time to bring honor guards back to the field, as is done in DCA and with nearly every Alumni corps I have ever seen performing in exhbitions. I was never given the priviege of a reply. I believe that other country flags should fly at a height even with the US flag. The US flag should never be lower. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kamarag Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 (edited) Here's a handy site that tells you everything you need to know about the Flag of the United States and how it should be properly displayed. I've found that about half the time, so called "drum corps flag experts" haven't a clue what they are talking about. This is the site we gave out to civilians that would ask us questions about the subject when I was in the US Army Band (military regulations differ slightly from standard US Flag Code). United States Flag Code Edited August 21, 2011 by Kamarag 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jocko the Wonder Llama Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 Where is the old guy with Chicago Connection? Back in the '70s he stood guard with a Tommy Gun. BTW, Title 36 United States Code section 175 states: "No person shall display the flag of the United Nations or any other national or international flag equal, above, or in a position of superior prominence or honor to, or in place of, the flag of the United States at any place within the United States or any Territory or possession thereof." 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Room_101 Posted August 21, 2011 Popular Post Share Posted August 21, 2011 I also observed that one corps had an American Flag bearer with no one guarding the flag. After about 15 minutes....a saber and rifle joined the lone American Flag bearer. ...was there ever a possibility of anyone harming the flag during those 15 minutes? I saw three American Flags without a spike or eagle at the top of the flag pole. ...I never knew that flags were supposed to have one or the other. Quite frankly, even if I had known, I really doubt I would have noticed something so slight. People....it's DCI finals retreat....can we please show some respect...and get this right....... This should be cakewalk stuff for these so-called drum corps staff geniuses.... ........ With all due respect, is this really that big of a deal? So many of these rules regarding the American flag (gasp, a lowercase f!!!) are so unbelievably archaic. In 1790, I'm sure it was important to have someone guarding the flag. But at DCI Finals over two centuries later, if there's no guard for 15 minutes, is that really all that offensive? As for no spike or eagle, the "Flag Code" states that anything "by which the average person seeing the same without deliberation may believe the same to represent the flag" is enough to constitute the flag. In other words, if it's enough to give off the impression that it's an American flag, then it's an American flag. So what does it matter if there's no spike or eagle on top? The point still gets across, right? I can think of so many things I witnessed and heard at Finals that were more offensive than some set of antiquated rules that are, in my opinion, just a waste of extraneous effort. 15 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Liahona Posted August 21, 2011 Share Posted August 21, 2011 I believe that other country flags should fly at a height even with the US flag. The US flag should never be lower. "No person shall display the flag of the United Nations or any other national or international flag equal, above, or in a position of superior prominence or honor to, or in place of, the flag of the United States at any place within the United States or any Territory or possession thereof" 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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