Honor Guard position patch

[SMMatthew]

the shortage of buglers is a on-going serious problem.

Do you have any Scouts who play trumpet in their school marching band? Our troop has 4, and they all help bugle when called upon (although several use a trumpet rather than an official bugle -- still sounds great).

[Stosh]

Playing the bugle isn't always the problem, using it as a functional tool is quite different. If done properly, a good bugler can do great things for a troop and even for camporee and summer camp programs. Of course that would mean that scouts would need to know what the bugle calls were so they would know what to do when they heard them.

 

Playing "To the Colors" is not part of the flag raising ceremony, it is a heads up to the scattered troops to start traveling to where the colors are being posted.

 

I have been in situations where thousands of people were communicated to using just the bugle. It's kinda neat, but not many people today are aware of how it works.

 

Summer camps ring bells for meals instead of playing "Mess Call", no SPL meeting is ever announced by "Officers' Call", and no Sunday morning service is announced with "Church Call". As a matter of fact even if the bugler was the best in the world, the scouts around him wouldn't know what to do if they heard the call anyway.

 

Bugle POR is kind of a waste of time for today's troops. But troops that take the time to really learn about it, it can be a tremendous communication tool to help the boys know what's going on.

 

Stosh

[SSScout]

"Use it or lose it". I MBC Bugle MB, and I surprise some people by encouraging the boy to "Be the Bugler". Work with the SPL for the communicative ability the bugle can give. No need to yell! Play "Attention" or "First Call" as appropriate. I offered my services to the WB course, and , wow, I was gratified by the compliments I garnered. It is ultimately up to the bugler to offer the services, rarely does the camp or ceremony or SPL or SM come asking.

[TAHAWK]

I too miss the bugle calls that regulated troop, district and council events, including summer camp. Scouts at summer camp were very quick to pick them up, especially Meal Call and Mail Call. Troop 43 had five buglers and an annual challenge system to fill and rank those five positions.

 

 

 

Playing "To the Colors" is not part of the flag raising ceremony, it is a heads up to the scattered troops to start traveling to where the colors are being posted.

 

Seems like there is not a fixed ceremony. Various Scout camps varied then and now. The military services do it differently.

 

When I was seventeen, the First Division, U.S.M.C. raised the colors to "To the Colors" and lowered them to "Retreat." But when there was a band present, they played the National Anthem as the colors were raised or lowered. That still seems to be the case according to current U.S. Navy regs.

 

3. “Attention†shall resounded, followed by the playing of the National Anthem by the band.

 

4. At morning colors, the ensign shall be started up at the beginning of the music and hoisted smartly to the psak or truck. At evening colors, the ensign shall be started from the peak or truck at the beginning of the music and the lowering so regulated as to he completed at the last note.

 

5. At the completion of the music, “Can-y On†shall be sounded.

 

6. In the absence of a band, or an appropriate recording to be played over a public address system, “To the Colors†shall be played by the bugle at morning colors, and “Retreat†at evening colors. The salute shall be rendered as prescribed for the National Anthem.

 

 

At that time, Ft. Ord raised the colors to a cannon and Reville and when lowering them played "To the Color" [no "s"] and then "Retreat." Yet, I was told, Ft. Benning used the same ceremonies as the Marines and West Point did it like Ft. Ord.

 

The Air Forces says:

After reveille ha+s been played, the unit commander commands Squadron ATTENTION and Present ARMS and then faces the flagstaff and executes present arms. On this signal, the national anthem or To the Colors is sounded.

On the first note of the national anthem or To the Colors, the flag security detail begins to raise the flag briskly. The senior member of the detail holds the flag to keep it from touching the ground."

At the first note of "To the Colors", they should come to attention and salute.

 

I witnessed the Coast Guard at Long Beach raise them to "To the Colors."

 

 

 

Perhaps it's all good if it is practiced and respectful. (Just warn me about any cannon; please.)

 

 

More bugles !!!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Gone]

I realize this is a thread about the patch but... Just today we buried a long-time Scouter and had no Scout honor guard--probably because it was a Wednesday afternoon during school. At any rate' date=' the memorial service was nice and there were many Scouters in uniform. I was honored to be asked to play Taps at the graveside because it meant a lot to the family. Our Scouter friend had touched the lives of countless thousands of people through our region. A fellow Scoutmaster and I discussed the idea of having a district or council Honor Guard of Scouts who could be called upon to serve at funerals such as this one. With as many young musicians as we must all have in our units, I think it should be relatively easy to find a Scout who could be trained to play a bugle or trumpet. Do any of you have experience with this? [/quote'] Our troop has formed an honor guard for just such occasions. We have many memorial and veterans activities in our area, flag raisings, retirings and other ceremonies. Use two former military men (one an honor guard person) to properly train our instructors to then train our honor guard. Have made the suggestion (through our OA Rep and SPL) to our district to form just such a unit. They're too busy building their personal fiefdoms to get more awards to give a rat's patootie about something like this. Perhaps your district might be more accommodating.

[scoutldr]

RE: fake bugles...I attended the funeral of a long time family friend and church member, who was a veteran of the USCG in WWII. The USCG sent an honor guard and the young female seaman had bugle duty. When she went to push the button on the electronic bugle, it wouldn't work (batteries were dead?). As an American I was embarrassed for her and for the family who were deprived of that once-in-a-lifetime honor. Can't we do better?