What are your thoughts on service members staying indoors to avoid saluting the Flag during Retreat?

Eh, I think if you're already inside waiting for it to be over is like not walking in on a ceremony. If you're outside running to get inside is ridiculous.

The correct answer is that where there is an opportunity to honor the flag, you take it. On most installations that's twice a day... at most.

Clearly there are exceptions as mentioned above. The litmus test in my mind is doing whatever is most respectful. if you need to act like a keystone cop or create a distraction to respect the flag...stay where you are. Defensible judgment is key.

Deliberately ducking honors is reprehensible. I've seen it more often than I'd like to admit. Thirty seconds of your day isn't much to ask to reflect on why you do this job.

I don't think that most honors "duckers" mean to be disrespectful. Over time, reveille and retreat become routine and perhaps "annoying". When that happens, its a leader's job to provide remedial training regarding the meaning of service.

My humble opinion.

I agree mainly, Maj (Join to see), but if Retreat is already playing, is it maybe just as respectful to wait until it stops to exit the building? I'm seriously asking, because I don't exactly know. If I heard Retreat playing and I were inside a building, headed out, I would probably wait until it finished to exit, which I would count as being respectful and non-disruptive.

There's another topic on RallyPoint where this point is touched on. (https://www.rallypoint.com/answers/what-do-you-think-of-a-soldier-who-won-t-salute-the-flag) One of the posts under that discussion thread talks about Soldiers avoiding Retreat, waiting for a while *before* Retreat starts playing to exit the building, so they don't have to stop and salute the flag. That is either disrespectful or lazy, probably both.