Milsurp After Hours

It's Veteran's Day here in the US, not sure what other countries call it, but it means
the same to all of us. So I hope my fellow Veterans are having an enjoyable day.
I didn't attend any local ceremonies, but went to breakfast with my friend I've
known since grade school, good meal and conversation.



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Veterans day is a bigger deal now days than I remember it in years past. Maybe we got too many veterans with all the forever wars we have had going back to King George Bush the elder and down through the others to King Donnie the outrageous now days. Us Vietnam vets have been waving our flag pretty strong for the last however many years since it wasn't something to be ashamed of anymore.

In a way I kinda miss the days when nobody gave a crap. I find it embarrassing when people come up to me, admittedly with my Vietnam hat on, and say "Thank you for your service." I then feel like I shouldn't be wearing that hat on any day like Veteran's Day.

I've noticed on Facebook the guys who did the least in military service get the most adulation and respect...some of the actual most stomach turning of it self aggrandizement from remfs who have now become Rambo. A good friend of mine who avoided Vietnam by getting into the National Guard showed up on my facebook stream today. His daughter posted his photo from basic training with the tribute stuff of how appreciated he is for being a "soldier". Well ...he didn't do it, his daughter did, and he is still my friend. But.... I wonder how he actually feels about it.

In the UK it is celebrated on Remembrance Sunday, the nearest Sunday to the 11th November.
I was in Talence, Bordeaux at the CWGC Cemetery.
I am now Chairman of the Royal British Legion Branch in Bordeaux & SW France.
Wreathes were laid by the Mayor of Talence, myself, The British and American Consuls and other organisations.
Yesterday I attended the ceremony in the village which, after laying the wreathes, everyone goes to the cemetery where the local standard for the Anciens Combattants is paraded around all the graves. Afterwards there is a Vin d'Honour .

That guy in the red jacket and the British Legion flag has that flag resting on the ground. Is that on purpose? For an American flag that would be sacrilege.

It is this flag and I'm sure Duncan can explain the reason.

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It was in the process of being 'dipped in salute' at the sounding of the Last Post.
It remained at the 'Dip' for the two minutes silence and then, on Reveille brought back to Attention.
Really, do you suppose that we do not know our Ceremonial ?

Well..... if according to official ceremony then that makes it Kosher. I should have known it was all in the official manual.

I got an old Army Drill and Ceremonies manual I picked up some place. Nothing definitive about flag dipping in it though. Nearest thing is "Present Guidon". Guess the US Army isn't in to dipping to the ground or it's in another manual.

I've since read that flags, not the US flag, in ceremony, may sometimes be dipped with dipped angle being a 45 degree angle ....like the Guidon in the attached image. The British rule must be different.

Ah yes.....the Remembrance day Brit stuff includes "vailing"

https://www.crwflags.com/fotw/flags/xf-grnd.html

Funnily enough, my copy of The Yorkshire Regiment Journal arrived today.
On page 60 in a feature on Normandy 75 was this image.

Whole lot of vailing going on in that last photo. Wonder if they would do that if the ground was wet and muddy? Can you dry clean a flag?

Yes...............modern ones are made from man made fibres for that very reason. Our Legion flag is. I know because it is currently in the guest bedroom drying out from Sunday