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For all you veterans who served, I salute you as myself being a Vietnam veteran. Do you recall, at 5pm when the flag was being lowered and the bugle playing, if you were outside you were supposed to stop and salute the nearest flag until the bugle stopped. But, how many guys did you see run to the nearest building so that they did not have to salute? ;-/
Yeah, still do. Of I'm on base at the BX or Comm, I stop and turn, even stop the car and get out. And watch the pissed off traffic go by.
EDIT: I believe Retreat and flag lowering ceremony is every day at 4 or 5PM, I never checked the time, to signal the end of the normal duty day. Luke AFB plays Star Spangled Banner. I've only heard Taps live at funerals.
Wasn't at 5PM, the Regular CF quits at 4, Monday to Friday with a half day off per week for "sports"(None were actually organized. Lotta the time the "sports" were in the mess. We didn't have to be inside a building. Out of sight of the pole/flag was enough. No bugles involved either.
I was stationed at Ft. Bragg, NC at the time in 1966.
Its still custom and still practiced.