Military Tradition

One thing I miss about serving in the military are the traditions, customs and courtesies. There just isn’t an equivalent in the civilian world. What’s an example of some of these traditions? Everything from the routine, such as a salute, to the more complex such as ceremonies like the one in the featured pic. 

Fortunately, I get to keep a small piece of military tradition by volunteering with my local chapter of the Air Defense Artillery Association or ADAA. Specifically, I serve as the person in charge of gathering nominations for the annual induction into the Order of Saint Barbara. Each year the ADAA hosts a dinner where nominees are ceremoniously inducted into the order.

I’ve blogged previously about Saint Barbara and how she figures prominently in Air Defense and Field Artillery tradition. In our particular area, there are more retired service members than active duty, so it’s up to us volunteers to make the night go as planned. We just wrapped up this year’s event last weekend.

While it’s a little different than being at a formal event with three or four hundred Soldiers, the night is conducted in proper military ball tradition and is always a lot of fun. Perhaps the part I enjoy the most is seeing all the folks who are attending their first military style formal event. Many of the recipients of the Order of Saint Barbara in our area are government civilians or defense contractors. For some, it is the first time they’ve witnessed such a spectacle!

Everything from posting the colors at the beginning of the night to the crowd favorite, “grog” ceremony is steeped in military tradition and the attendees love it! It is fun to observe many of the guests get their first glimpse at these traditions, especially at a ceremony in honor of them. More importantly, the pomp and pageantry of the event really instills a sense of importance and honor to the occasion. The recipients of the Order of Saint Barbara hold the award in very high esteem.

And I think that’s what makes it so special. Most veterans or active-duty personnel who’ve been around these type of events for years have a tendency to take the night for granted as just another ceremony. For me, I get to see the look of awe and gratitude in the recipients’ eyes. They are always so thankful to the active duty and veteran personnel running the ceremony. 

The annual Order of Saint Barbara dinner and ceremony is just one of the many military traditions I was immersed in for nearly a quarter of a century. I am thankful to still have this connection to my past. Perhaps more than just making us old vets reminiscent of times past, the ceremony serves as a good reminder of the contributions of the Field and Air Defense Artillery branches to our nation’s defense. It also reminds me how grateful I am to have served for 24 years in a time-honored profession steeped in rich tradition.

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The views, opinions and biases expressed in this blog are the authors and do not reflect those of the U.S. Army or Department of Defense.

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