Color guard

The color guard is typically a small number of soldiers (4 is common) charged with protecting the flag and performing flag raising and lowering ceremonies. Flag raising and lowering ceremonies normally require two people to handle the flag. Thus, the color guard usually has extra members who can guard the flag while the primary two members are busy handling it.

Also, a color guard is a non-musical section of a marching band. Originally, a military color guard often travelled with the band, which would presumably be playing a patriotic song of some sort. This use continued into the civilian marching bands; and, today, a marching band color guard will normally carry flags, banners, mock rifles or mock swords, much as a military color guard does. Other props, of a nature relevant to the theme of the musical program, are also used. Marching band color guards can grow very large, often rivalling the number of musicians in the band.