Soldier Battles Disrespect for Old Glory : Military: Sgt. Maj. David Faiello is cracking down on those who disregard flag-lowering ceremony at Maryland base. His efforts are drawing some fire.

FREDERICK, Md. — Some soldiers and civilians at the Army base here duck into buildings to avoid saluting Old Glory.

Others have shouted obscenities at those who stop to observe the flag-lowering ceremony. Some even claim not to know what’s required of them.

Sgt. Maj. David Faiello, in charge of enlisted personnel at Ft. Detrick, views it all as an affront to those men and women who fought under the red-white-and-blue. And he’s cracking down.

Faiello has ordered military police to warn any of the base’s 4,700 soldiers and civilian base employees who disregard Army policy during the solemn flag-lowering ceremony, held every day at twilight.

Faiello took the action after his call for respect was largely ignored--his articles on the topic appeared in the base’s newspaper.

“He was upset by it,” base spokesman Norm Covert said. “He served and others served in uniform fighting for that flag, and it deserves our respect. People do it at baseball games.”

At 5 p.m. every day, a cannon is fired on the first note of “To the Colors!” and the flag is slowly lowered during a ceremony that lasts about a minute. As the music starts, Covert said, civilians and soldiers are required to stop and turn toward the flag. Soldiers are required to salute, civilians to hold their hand over their heart.

Cars should also stop and their occupants should get out and observe the ceremony, he said.

Faiello has ordered that four officers be posted at intersections around the base to stop cars during the ceremony, and that they should take note of the license plates of those who don’t stop.

He also has instructed military police to issue verbal warnings to violators and educate those who claim not to know about the policy.

“We had an incident recently when a military driver stopped his car and got out to salute and several drivers behind him got very angry and shouted obscenities at him,” Faiello said in a recent base newspaper article. “There is just no excuse for this.”

Officers have not begun issuing written citations, which would require violators to receive counseling from their supervisors, Covert said, but that could start if infractions continue.

“I don’t think some people are ignoring it as much as they don’t know what’s going on,” Covert said. “Then, there are always those in a hurry to go pick up their child at day care.”

Spc. LaShawn Brown, who is on the flag detail, said a few more people have been showing respect for the flag, and some have gone to extremes to get around it.

“A lot of people try to hide. They duck back in the buildings,” Brown said.

Pvt. Les Castillo added that people “just don’t feel like doing it,”

Compliance, however, appeared strong one recent evening.

A man kept walking past the flag at the start of the ceremony, but turned toward it when he reached his car. A woman heading to her car stopped and faced the flag. Seven soldiers playing football stopped and came to attention.

Army spokesman Capt. Joseph Piek said he wasn’t aware that disrespect for the flag was a widespread problem at the nation’s bases. He said how strictly regulations are enforced is up to individual commanders.

“In my nine years on troop installations,” Piek said, “I knew people who would stay in the building past 5 p.m. so they wouldn’t get halfway down the road and have to stop and get out.”