Gate signs post retreat boundaries

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Joe McFadden
  • 1st Special Operations Wing Public Affairs
HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. --  Hurlburt Field's front and back gates currently display "Retreat Hold Lines" signs for motorists exiting the base.

The installation commander, at the recommendation of the Hurlburt Advisory Council, placed the signs there in January as a boundary point for vehicles to stop when Retreat is sounded.

Retreat is a military tradition that includes the playing of the national anthem over the base's loudspeakers, signaling the official duty day's end and a means to pay respect to the American flag.

Protocol dictates that drivers slowly bring their vehicles to a stop on the first note of Retreat. However, with the base's loud speakers projecting the music past the gates, some drivers wondered if and where they actually had to stop.

"It's to help you know where to stop when retreat is playing," said Master Sgt. Natalie Sockman, a readiness NCO at the Airman & Family Readiness Center and HAC vice-president. "If I'm beyond that sign, I don't need to stop anymore. If I'm behind that sign, I need to stop and render the proper customs."

Additionally, Sockman cited traffic safety as a reason behind the signs' creation.

"You want to make sure that if you're beyond that sign you do not want to stop traffic," she said. "If you're already past it, the person behind you is going to want to keep going, and you don't need to stop in front of them."

Yet as important as boundaries and safety factored into the decision, Sockman said there was more behind placing the signs up in the first place.

"It's a tradition and a sign of respect to stop because our national anthem is playing," she said. "If you're outdoors and in uniform, you're going to render the proper customs and courtesies and salute. If you're in your vehicle, you're supposed to sit quietly, remain still and listen to the music. It's a reminder of why we work here on this military base."

For more information or if you have questions and suggestions, contact the HAC at HAC@hurlburt.af.mil.