Quote Originally Posted by MacMillan of Rathdown View Post
Geoff, at events of this sort I always ask myself "If I was in uniform, would I wear my sword?" If the answer is "no", then I leave the dirk at home.
Interesting. I didn't have my own sword, back in the day. Some that did, indeed do wear their swords. More among officers than NCOs like myself, but some NCOs do wear their swords. I am comfortable wearing a sword, as I spent two years in a Reserve Training Detachment, and we had the collateral duty of being the ceremonial unit for our area. So when Marine Color Guards were needed, parades, funerals, etc, we were tasked with the duty, and I frequently carried a sword as Color Guard commander. I like wearing a sword. I was in a saber drill team in college. But for a ball, unless you are part of the ceremony, you arrive with it, check it, and pick it up again when you leave. Another consideration is that, being under arms, I would have to remain covered, which would also be a pain.