The DrillMaster

Funeral directors and and cemetery caretakers have a big responsibility to ensure funeral honors can happen without a hitch. That being said, there’s usually something that the pallbearers must deal with. In this article, we will deal with travel to the gravesite and gravesite setup. Click this link to read the similar subject of Flag Orientation on the Casket and how to deal with it. Casket…

In this article, I tell you how you can teach someone to march with a 30” step.

That is a very good question. So, just what are drill meet judges looking for? In general, they don’t know. Drill meet judges are not trained, they are briefed about an hour before the competition. Some get their briefing a day prior. It’s still a briefing, it’s not training since no one involved has enough time to readily digest and process the new information and then practice applying the…

Street parades or even a military parade (a pass-in-review, not “pass and review”) is a celebration of a special event like the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence on September 17, 1787, Independence Day, Memorial Day, or Armed Forces Day. There are any number of reasons for a parade and this article will be helpful for parade organizers. Joint? The order of multiple…

Some school principals and superintendents are more “protective” in their looking after their students. JROTC can be a target for being overly “protective”. In reality, that “protection” doesn’t meet the definition of the word, but that’s a discussion for another time. The Question My school principal is not letting my school’s JROTC program use replica rifles in our color guard. Is there a…

Is the order of colors (flags) the same as the order of troops? One would think so. It should be for all colors, but there’s mixed info. Let’s look closely. If you haven’t, please read these articles on Joint Armed Forces Flags. The Order of Colors The Order for Joint Armed Forces is Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. There are rules and laws that enter into the…

There are instances where we may want to “honor” someone by doing something that possibly violates the Flag Code due to ignorance. This article aims to eliminate that ignorance and inform on ways to truly honor the ones who served our country. Burning The American flag is a profound symbol of freedom and patriotism. Honoring a military veteran involves respecting that symbol and those that…

The only way to ensure a flag doesn’t move when draped on a casket is to put a casket band on it or underneath it and then tuck the flag into it. Any other time, you risk the flag moving one way or another and that’s not necessarily a bad thing, you just have to be aware of the possibility. It’s appropriate to break your position and grab the flag if it’s sliding off, especially when it’s placed…

Why do all of this ceremonial “stuff”? Some believe (wrongly) that all this is just a, waste of time, effort, money, etc. Gone are the days of the Army never entering Rome, which was seen as an act of aggression and possible overthrow of the government, which, in that day, it was. Read about crossing the Rubicon and the phrase “The die is cast”, alea iacta est. Video courtesy of @armylondon on…

From BG Garaci, my NMMI brother and President of Missouri Military Academy. I cannot help but share his message. Dear MMA alumni and friends, On January 21, I addressed the corps at Vespers, our weekly non-denominational service focused on self-reflection, personal and spiritual growth held in Memorial Chapel. During my address, I reflected on my recent recovery from the serious injury and…

Each year I have JROTC cadets contact me about issues they see in their unit and how to address them. One of those issues is putting random cadets into different leadership positions like the guidon bearer for the class. JROTC units have several classes throughout the day and each class is considered a company or squadron even though the numbers are only around 30. With that, the class/company…

I speak with law enforcement officers and firefighters around the country on all matters of drill and ceremonies. This crops up every so often and needs to be addressed. Three percent of Americans serve in the military. Many of those who serve get out after their initial four years, maybe another tour, or they stay for 20. After that, some go into law enforcement or become firefighters. The…

Commanders for Parade Staff, Flag Detail, and Color Guard, do not come to Attention (from Parade Rest) to call their formation to Attention. This article is for every branch of the US military and all cadets. The commander, in all three instances, is part of the formation and does not move independently of the other members of the formation. This is for uniformity. Parade Staff This is a sample…

In this clip from the 1962 TV show “I’ve Got a Secret”, Jonathan Winters marches a small platoon of Marines around the stage before the game show commences. We can learn a little bit from this: “Harch” was used by every service at least during the WWII era and for a few years after. “Oblique” was pronounced properly at one time. Read here for more. Commands were called when marching in just…

What a great day! Too bad other schools don’t join in on the learning! Atlantic Community High School LEO High School Pinellas High School San Volusia High School San Volusia High School (I pressed stop instead of pause, this is the rest) West FL High School

Recently, I received a question that deserves to be an article. This happens constantly and is part of what I have called Filling in the Gaps. While I have been made fun of for using that term, there will always be someone with a question. They have a gap in their knowledge and are seeking to fill it. The Question [edited- DM] DrillMaster, during the Armed Squad sequence, the team marches at…