Throughout history, military units have utilized armed detachments which were responsible for displaying and protecting the national and unit designating flags - or colors. All Color Guard Services provided will be comprised of two riflemen, the National Flag, and a few possible variations of the unit designating flags.
The presentation of Colors at any event must be accompanied by the National Anthem, the Pledge of Allegiance, or some other form of patriotic respect rendered to Honor our National Colors and what they stand for.
Traditional - 4 Man
The traditional - 4 man Color Guard is the most commonly requested for events that want to start their program with the presentation of the National Colors. This style of Color Guard can be used at almost any type of event.
This Detail is comprised of a National Flag bearer, an American Legion Flag bearer, and two Riflemen as guards.
Branch Specific -5 Man
The branch specific - 5 man Color Guard is more commonly used if an event is honoring a specific person or branch of service; and it is appropriate to display the flag specific to the military branch involved.
This Detail is comprised of a National Flag bearer, an American Legion Flag bearer, a Military Branch Flag Bearer, and two Riflemen as guards.
All Service - 9 Man
The all service - 9 man Color Guard is commonly used at events designated to honor the military as a whole, such as Memorial Day, Veteran's Day, Pearl Harbor Day, etc.
This Detail is comprised of a National Flag bearer, an American Legion Flag bearer, a Flag bearer for all five branches of the military, and two Riflemen as guards.
Each of the standard Color Guard designs can be altered to better correlate to an event if the requesting party feels there may be a design more fitting to the planned program. All variations of Color Guards will maintain proper protocol and etiquette as described in the United States Code Title 4 Chapter 1 and the Department of Defense Directive 1005.8
"The flag represents a living country and is itself considered a living thing." Section 8j