{{Short description, US military ceremony V_Corps_inactivation_ceremony_130612-A-AD638-003

1st_Cavalry_Division_Color_Casing_Ceremony_DVIDS136678

The Casing of the Colors is a

traditional A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

ceremony held by

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...

command Command may refer to: Computing * Command (computing), a statement in a computer language * command (Unix), a Unix command * COMMAND.COM, the default operating system shell and command-line interpreter for DOS * Command key, a modifier key on A ...

brigade A brigade is a major tactical military unit, military formation that typically comprises three to six battalions plus supporting elements. It is roughly equivalent to an enlarged or reinforced regiment. Two or more brigades may constitute ...

s and

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, military service, service, or administrative corps, specialisation. In Middle Ages, Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of l ...

s as well as

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionar ...

units. Each of these units have unique flags referred to as "

colors Color (or colour in Commonwealth English; see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though color is not an inherent property of matter, color perception is related to an object's light absorpt ...

" which are carried by the

color guard In Military, military organizations, a colour guard (or color guard) is a detachment of soldiers assigned to the protection of Colours, standards and guidons, regimental colours and the national flag. This duty is highly prestigious, and the mil ...

s to represent the unit at military ceremonies. If a unit is deactivated, the "Casing of the Colors" ceremony is held to commemorate the unit and its history which is read aloud to the

formation Formation may refer to: Linguistics * Back-formation, the process of creating a new lexeme by removing or affixes * Word formation, the creation of a new word by adding affixes Mathematics and science * Cave formation or speleothem, a secondary ...

. Afterwards, the command's

sergeant major Sergeant major is a senior Non-commissioned officer, non-commissioned Military rank, rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's ...

then takes the colors from the

color bearer A standard-bearer, also known as a colour-bearer or flag-bearer, is a person who bears an emblem known as a standard or military colours, i.e. either a type of flag or an inflexible but mobile image, which is used (and often honoured) as a ...

's sling, the deactivation order is read and the colors are presented to the unit commander. The unit commander and the sergeant major then proceed to lower and rotate the colors while furling them into a protective sheath thereby casing the colors. The cased colors are presented to the unit's color bearer who then carries them from the field officially ending the unit command. Cased colors for US Army units are then sent to the

United States Army Center of Military History The United States Army Center of Military History (CMH) is a directorate within the United States Army Training and Doctrine Command. The Institute of Heraldry remains within the Office of the Administrative Assistant to the Secretary of the Arm ...

in Washington, DC.

References

*
Drill and Ceremonies
' Field Manual, Headquarters, Department of the Army, 2006. FM 3-21.5. Section 15-6, on pages 15-4 to 15-6 lists current ceremony in detail. Ceremonies Heraldry of the United States military United States Army traditions

See also

References