NROTC students show their 'colors'

Some of you may have seen students, who, judging from their clothes, look like lost soldiers from the Battle of Lexington, rushing off to catch a van. But they're not reenacting the American Revolution. These students are actually members of the Penn Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps Color Guard, a club formed by the 60 members of the Penn NROTC to perform flag-presentation ceremonies at special events. The two rifle-bearers, Engineering freshman Charles Adams and Nursing sophomore Mary Alice Peterson, carry colonial-replica flintlock muskets, which are fired if a gun salute is in order. The flags, carried by Nursing juniors Elizabeth Kotora and Kathleen Crinklaw during ceremonies, are the flags of the United States and the U.S. Navy, respectively. Unlike the flag bearers people are accustomed to seeing at sporting events and public presentations, the Color Guard is distinct in that its members wear the colonial-era uniforms of the Continental Navy and Continental Marine Corps. Between the end of the preparation and drilling for the ceremonies and their next big event on George Washington's birthday at Independence Hall in February, the Color Guard is not likely to get much rest. The flag-presentation ceremony is becoming increasingly popular with event organizers for sporting events, social functions and military events. Despite the busy schedule, Kotora, the leader of the group, welcomes all invitations to events at which the Color Guard can perform. "We usually drill around two hours a week, depending on which events we have," Kotora said. Dedication and practice are two prerequisites for any NROTC member considering joining the Color Guard. Although it may not look that hard to carry a flag or musket, imagine having to wear a hairy wig for hours and five layers of cotton clothing. What could draw the members of the Color Guard to such an activity? Adams, whose parents also served in ROTC, said the idea of "people cooperating and working together in such a tight group" was what drew him to the guard. Plus, not every college student gets to learn how to fire a musket. Kotora, under whose leadership female membership in the Color Guard has increased this year, explained the difficulty with which she has led the group. "The idea of giving commands [to march] scared me at first, but I finally got used to it."