“Reveille, reveille.  All hands heave out and trice up. Now reveille.”

I don’t know how long those words have echoed through Navy ships and barracks, but it is remembered by every Navy veteran I’ve ever asked.

Reveille, the sunrise bugle call signaling the first military formation of the day, wakes the crew and sets us about our work for the day. But in the Navy, sounding reveille is a separate event from raising the flag. Since about 1870 on U.S. Navy ships in port, and on U.S. Navy bases around the world at 0755, “Prep” is sounded and at exactly 0800, the American Flag is raised while the national anthem is played.  At local sunset, “Retreat” is sounded and the flag is lowered.  Regardless of what base you are on, these times are consistent across the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. (Navy ships at sea fly the National Ensign 24 hours a day.)

It comes as a surprise to many folks that the U.S. Air Force has a different policy and the time the flag is raised and lowered on Air Force bases is determined by the local commander.  On most, but not all Air Force installations today, reveille is sounded at either 0630 or 0700 at which time our National Anthem is played and the flag is raised.  Retreat is usually sounded at either 1630 or 1700, and the flag is lowered.

Like the Air Force, each Army installation commander sets the time for reveille and retreat.  At Wheeler Army Airfield, Hawaii, reveille is sounded at 0630, and retreat is at 1700, except on Thursdays when it is at 1500 to allow extra time for Soldiers to be with their families.

Every day across NAWCAD we are challenged to be more efficient, to apply “best practices” from other organizations and to have more commonality.  Most of the time that alignment is a good idea, but we should all remember that it is OK to be different sometimes if there is a very good reason to do so. If what we are doing works well for NAWCAD, don’t change just for change’s sake. We’re in the same Department of Defense, and have the same Commander in Chief, but manage to accommodate separate practices for raising and lowering our Nation’s flag. 

– RM