The distinctive sound of a bugle starts emanating from the giant loud speakers positioned all over McChord Field Monday through Friday at 4:30 p.m.

It's the start of Retreat, which signals the end of the official duty day, followed by the playing of the national anthem.

But every Thursday from March until late September, Retreat means a little something more.

Wing leadership and Airmen from a designated squadron are chosen each week to host a flag ceremony at 4:30. Airmen stand at attention between three and five minutes while another group of eight take down the flag and fold it.

This year, several different squadrons took turns doing the ceremony, culminating with a special ceremony honoring the anniversary of 9/11 to close out the season.

"We had a lot of people this year that wanted to participate in (the weekly ceremony)," said Staff Sgt. Mallory Paul, who works in the wing's Protocol office and is in charge of scheduling and training each group that participates in the ceremony. "It's a chance for each squadron's Airmen to show their military bearing."

While Paul tries to gather Airmen within each squadron that have flag folding experience and get the team together for a practice before the ceremony, she never minds teaching rookies the finer points to the ceremony - even when it means telling Airmen above her rank the proper protocol for the ceremony.

"A lot of people are resistant because they might be used to doing it one way because that's how they did it at a different base," she said. "But each wing commander may have a different way of doing the ceremony, and Col. (R. Wyn) Elder's vision for the setup can be completely different."

To pull off a truly flawless ceremony, Paul is a stickler for the small details. Whether that means making sure the flag is folded just right or making sure everyone is in the exact position when the flag is presented to the commander, Paul knows how everything should look.

"It's always those last minute adjustment details that can really make the ceremony," said Paul, an Amarillo, Texas, native who's been at McChord for nearly five years.

And besides the ceremony being a opportunity for those passing by to pause and pay respect to the flag, it's a chance for Airmen to stop and reflect on why they serve before they go home for the day.

"It's about honoring a great tradition," Paul said. "(Retreat ceremonies) go way back in history."