Drill and Ceremony

The military term drill and ceremony refers to two different events that are interrelated and complement each other. The first, drill, concerns the methods by which an officer, noncommissioned officer, or other unit commander moves personnel from one place to another in an orderly fashion by the use of verbal commands. The second, ceremony, refers to the various ceremonies used by military (U.S. Army, Marine Corps, Navy, Air Force, and Coast Guard) and civilian organizations to promote a unit’s esprit de corps, self-esteem, cohesion, and morale. Ceremonies include events such as promotions, changes of command, award presentations, military reviews, retirement of various personnel, and funerals. Drill and ceremony, also known as D&C, most notably applies to military branches, but it also applies to other groups ...