If I wore a hat, I would take it off.
My daddy does, my grandpa's, Garrett, my brother, etc. All the men down here do. (girls very rarely wear hats).
Its customary for men to remove their hats during the National Anthem, in Church, during prayer, and other times where respect should be shown.
Its like how we bow our heads during prayer, it's just signs of respect.
Kinda off subject but, my dad's cousin got killed from a road side bomb in Iraq a few years ago. We had to drive to the airport 40 minutes away (3 towns away). They had his family in a limo, and him in the herse (sp) with the flags in the windows.
Everyone we passed in vehicles, pulled over on the side of the road. We were on a four lane highway, even the people on the other side pulled over. people got out and all the men took off their hats, and put them on their heart.
Once we got back to our home town. Starting from the first store to the funeral home; it seemed like the entire town was both sides of the road. Again, all the men took off their hat and everything.
It's really just a sign of respect. And I guess once you go through seeing things like that. You just look at it differently.
In my family, the hats come off. Does it really hurt to take off a hat for a few minutes? No.