What is a Flag Ceremony? A Flag Ceremony is a formal event that can be used for a variety of purposes, such as opening or closing meetings or events, to begin or end the day, or to retire a flag. At the start of a Flag Ceremony, the speaker tells the audience to please rise for the raising of colors and remove hats that are not a part of a military uniform. Then, the speaker reads out the color guard formation and repeats the National Anthem. Anyone in non-military attire would put their hands over their heart. People in the military would stand in attention with them putting their hand just above the eyebrow in a salute with their feet together at a 45 degree angle.

How does a Flag Ceremony work?

In order to start a ceremony, a color guard is needed. A color guard is a group of people that help put up the flag or help take it down. These people respond to orders and commands from the Caller.  The Caller gives out commands to the audience and to the Color guard, like to move forward, to stop, to raise/lower the flag, to salute, and to fall back in order. People who are in uniform stand on one side of the flag posts while the rest of the audience stands opposite to them. After the flags are raised and everyone is back in their original positions, a speaker or person(s) of interest will give a speech about the meeting or event. After the event is finished, the same color guard and Caller will come up and everyone will line up in their positions. Then they will proceed to lower the flag and finish the event with any finishing speeches.

What type of events would a Flag Ceremony be held at?

Flag Ceremonies are held at many different types of events, not just in the military. You can see a Flag Ceremony being held at military address time and ending the day, Boy Scout meetings, camps that are run by BSA, political events, and for different sports, including the Olympics. These Ceremonies can be held at any time and any place, anywhere.