Flag Protocols

[Somebody Else]

We don't do the flag thing... we've got Ma'am. As for civilians honouring anything in our country? Not bloody likely I'm afraid.

As for saluting, if out of uniform, no saluting. And that means complete uniform - no headdress, no salutey. I suppose in a suit, one should just stand around looking vaguely awkward...

[Spetulhu]

I was told a soldier never salutes if their head is uncovered, but that doesn't seem to be the case with US servicemembers if films are to be believed. Soldiers in formation stand at attention if witnessing the flag being carried, hoisted or lowered. IIRC we never saluted the flag itself.

Civilians or soldiers out of uniform don't salute anything. The polite thing to do is to stand up and watch the proceedings when the flag is hoisted or taken down.

[HoreTore]

Never saluted anything, as soldier or civilian. It feels....stupid.

[pevergreen]

In Australia, civilians watch, remember and respect.

[Incongruous]

Meh. Flags always seem overly patriotic outside a stadium.

[Dîn-Heru]

In uniform salute, in civilian clothes while in the army stand at attention, in formation the soldiers stand at attention while the officer salutes. In civilian life you are technically supposed to stop while it is being hoisted or lowered if memory serves me correctly, but I doubt many actually do so..

And generally outside of the army as long as you don't act in extreme disrespect to the flag I doubt anybody really cares what you do when the flag is hoisted or lowered.

[HoreTore]

In uniform salute, in civilian clothes while in the army stand at attention, in formation the soldiers stand at attention while the officer salutes. In civilian life you are technically supposed to stop while it is being hoisted or lowered if memory serves me correctly, but I doubt many actually do so..

And generally outside of the army as long as you don't act in extreme disrespect to the flag I doubt anybody really cares what you do when the flag is hoisted or lowered.

Hah! Heggelia has no flag at all, and nobody salutes the flag at Rusta, not sure about Setermoen, but I don't think they do it there either.

It's a navy thing, few cares about it in the army.

[Dîn-Heru]

Well I was in the Guard, so we probably had it a bit stricter than the rest of the army in this matter, but I was talking about what the rules are, not whether or not it is actually being followed in every base..

[AntiochusIII]

Meh. Flags always seem overly patriotic outside a stadium.

I regularly "Heil Hitler" whenever the Pledge of Allegiance comes up. Tends to bring a few laughs the first few times.

Yes yes respect and all, but isn't it terrible that all the patriots can do is wave the flag? There's symbolic gesture and there's feel-good propaganda. Oh, and there's substantial gesture that governments always try to avoid and peoples never care unless they're on the news, like that hospital nobody used to care about.

[Sorry, Kukri /Thread Hijack]

[Goofball]

I was told a soldier never salutes if their head is uncovered, but that doesn't seem to be the case with US servicemembers if films are to be believed. Soldiers in formation stand at attention if witnessing the flag being carried, hoisted or lowered. IIRC we never saluted the flag itself.

Civilians or soldiers out of uniform don't salute anything. The polite thing to do is to stand up and watch the proceedings when the flag is hoisted or taken down.

That's the key bit for us Canucks. You never salute if not wearing headdress, so naturally, if you are out of uniform you will not salute. Nor do we do that silly (sorry, I don't mean to offend, but it does seem silly to me) hand over the heart thing. If a member of the military is out of uniform or has no headdress on and needs to pay compliments to a superior officer, he simply checks his arms to his sides and maintains the position of attention until acknowledged. Likewise, if he is present for the lowering or raising of the flag, he will come to attention and remain so until the flag has been lowered/raised.