Parade (military)

A parade refers to any times soldiers are in formation with restriction of movement. The American usage is "formation."

Four directions

Parades consist of four directions:

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• Advance
• Retire
• Left
• Right

The Advance is the primary direction of movement, regardless of which direction the soldiers are actually facing (similar to a ship's bow.)

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The Retire is opposite the advance, against the primary direction of movement (similar to a ship's stern.)

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The Left is to the left of the Advance (similar to a ship's port.)

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The Right is to the right of the Advance (similar to a ship's starboard.)

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If the Advance is changed, then all other directions are changed to be based off the new Advance.

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There is only one person in charge of a parade at a time. Changing this person is very ceremonious. This is to make it obvious to the soldiers who is currently in command, and therefore who to pay attention to.

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During parades, unless explicitly told otherwise, soldiers have restricted movement, meaning they can only move exactly when they are told, and then only doing exactly what they are told to do. In most stances any movement at all is disallowed, and is held to such an extent as to have soldiers fainting on parade, (although anything short of plural hours standing still in the hot sun is considered a medical disability.)

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If this is caused by a soldier's inappropriate actions or inactions, the soldier can be formally charged. If a soldier makes a move when not told to, or a false move when told to, it can be considered disobeying a direct order from a superior (typically an officer,) and formally charged, although they are typically allowed to make mistakes with only minor reprimands.

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American usage allows the service member to be at four states of alert:

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• Attention: standing straight, eyes forward, chest out, knees straight but not locked, feet together at a 45-degree angle.
• Parade Rest: a modified position of attention in which the left foot is moved to shoulder width and the hands are placed in the small of the back
• At Ease: the service member is allowed to move all but the right foot, but may not speak
• Rest: The service member may talk.

A formation must be brought to the position of attention before it can go to a lower state of alert.

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British Commonwealth nations allow four states of alert:

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• Attention: standing straight, eyes forward, chest out, shoulders back and down, knees straight but not locked, heels together, feet at a 45-degree angle.
• At Ease: a modified position of attention in which the left foot is moved to shoulder width and the hands are placed behind the member arms fully extended
• Easy: Legs remain at At Ease position, arms are brought to the sides at position of attention. Member may relax their muscles and make minimal movements.
• Relax: Legs remain at postion at ease, member may make more significant movements or look around. Members may not move the feet. If the troops are not being addressed by a commander, they are generally allowed to talk quietly.