Each of the five branches of our American military has its own special song. Here’s the story.

Military songs inspire troops, preserve tradition

Each branch of the U.S. Armed Forces maintains its own military marching band to inspire troops and preserve tradition. Though they now serve ceremonial functions, these bands were once an integral element on the battlefield.

To increase the morale and courage of the men, bands would march in front of formations as they entered battle. Yet, as the number of musicians dwindled, commanders delegated marching bands to the rear of the formation, behind the combat-ready troops. Today, bands are no longer involved in armed conflict, but continue to inspire troops through song or hymn that represent the individual histories and traditions of America’s Armed Forces.

“The Army Goes Rolling Along”

Before “The Caisson Song” was adopted as the official tune of the U.S. Army, it was the proud anthem of the U.S. Field Artillery Corps. During a long march in the Philippines, Lieutenant Edmund L. “Snitz” Gruber overheard an officer roar “Come on! Keep ‘em Rolling!” Gruber, whose relative, Franz, composed the Christmas Song “Silent Night,” was suddenly inspired and that night wrote the now-famous melody. Fellow soldiers helped with the lyrics and in almost no time, all six regiments of the U.S. Field Artillery had adopted “The Caisson Song” as a popular marching tune.

During the last days of World War I, senior artillery leaders wanted to make “The Caisson Song” official, and mistaking the piece as composed during the Civil War, allowed bandmaster John Phillip Sousa to incorporate most of the song into his own composition “The U.S. Field Artillery March.” The song became a chart-topper during World War I, selling 750,000 copies. Discovering Gruber actually wrote the melody, an embarrassed but innocent Sousa made certain Gruber received his royalties. In 1948, the Army held a nationwide contest to find an official song. After four years of unsuccessful results and nearly 800 submitted scores, the Adjunct General’s office decided to recycle “The Caisson Song.” H.W. Arberg arranged the U.S. Army song, naming it “The Army Goes Rolling Along.” The Army copyrighted the song in 1956.

The “Marines’ Hymn”

An unlikely venue hosted the debut of a tune many now associate with the Marines’ Hymn. In the city of Paris, France, Jacques Offenbach (1819-1880) wrote and conducted opera and opera-bouffe (comic and farcical opera). Most believe the melody of the Marines’ Hymn was, in fact, taken from an aria in “Genevieve de Brabant” composed by Offenbach. This tune was morphed to fit the now famous lines “From the Halls of Montezuma, To the Shores of Tripoli.”

According to tradition, an officer wrote the first verse of the Hymn on duty in the Mexican War (1846-1848). Meant to highlight the various campaigns of the Marines, the unknown author edited the words from the Marines’ colors and added them to Offenbach’s melody. Continuing the custom, every campaign the Marines participate in gives birth to a new, unofficial verse. Copyright ownership of the Marines’ Hymn was vested to the U.S. Marine Corps in 1991, although its first use as the Marines’ official anthem was in 1929.

U.S. Navy “Anchors Aweigh”

In an attempt to write a catchy tune to rally the Naval Academy’s football team, “Anchors Aweigh” was born. Lieutenant Charles A. Zimmerman, the U.S. Navy bandmaster from 1887 to 1916, started the practice of composing a march for each graduating class. However, none of these tunes really caught on. In 1906, Zimmerman was approached by Midshipman Alfred Hart Miles to write a “piece of music that would be inspiring, one with swing to it so it could be used as a football marching song, and one that would live forever.”

Together, Zimmerman and Hart composed the tune and lyrics that became “Anchors Aweigh,” dedicated to the class of 1907. The new fight song indeed propelled Navy to a win that year over Army. The march was subsequently adopted as the official Navy song and continues to inspire classes of Naval Academy Midshipmen.

“The U.S. Air Force”

In 1938, the Army Air Corps decided they needed an official song. Liberty Magazine sponsored a contest whereby 757 scores were submitted. Of those, one written by Robert Crawford was selected by a committee of Air Corps wives and officially introduced at the Cleveland Air Races in 1939. Crawford himself sang it in its first public performance. When the Army Air Corps became a separate branch of the military in 1947, Crawford’s march changed names from “The Army Air Corps” to the “U.S. Air Force.”

Since that time, the first line of “Nothing’ll Stop the U.S. Air Force” became a motto and tradition. On July 30, 1971, the original first page submitted by Robert Crawford in 1939 was carried into space in the Apollo 15 “Falcon” and broadcast to the world by Major Alfred W. Worden, who had a tape recorder aboard the “Endeavor” command module. The “All-Air Force” crew arranged to take the sheet music with them as a tribute to Crawford and the U.S. Air Force.

The U.S. Coast Guard and “Semper Paratus”

The Coast Guard’s motto of Semper Paratus or “always ready” was officially recognized in 1910, and thenceforth appeared on the ensign. However, no one really knows how Semper Paratus was chosen as the Coast Guard’s “phrase” and watchword prior to its formal acceptance.

Whatever the case, in 1922, Captain Francis S. Van Boskerck was inspired to write an official U.S. Coast Guard song that would rival “Anchor’s Aweigh” or “The Caisson Song.” While in the cabin of his cutter Yamacraw, which was stationed in Savannah, Ga., Boskerck put pen to paper and the lyrics for “Semper Paratus” were born. Five years later, while stationed in the Aleutian Islands, Boskerck composed the accompanying music on a dilapidated old piano in Unalaska, Alaska. The geographically diverse origins of this piece are fittingly illustrated in the song’s first line “From Aztec shore to Arctic Zone, To Europe and Far East…” Semper Paratus remains the proud standard and song of the United States Coast Guard.

Here’s a nice story from the U.S. Army’s official website …

Sen. Inouye receives Medal of Honor flag

Aug 25, 2008  BY Pvt.2 Jesus J. Aranda, 25th Infantry Division Public Affairs

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii – U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye, center, receives a Medal of Honor flag from Capt. Terry Zoch, commander, E Company, 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment, during a ceremony on Sills Field, Aug. 20. Inouye is accompanied by Maj. Gen. Robert Caslen Jr., commander, 25th Infantry Division (left), and 25th ID Command Sgt. Maj. Frank Leota. Photo by Pvt.2 Jesus J. Aranda, 25th Infantry Division Public Affairs

SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, Hawaii – A rainy morning was quickly ushered out by a welcoming rainbow as Soldiers, guests, and family members of the Tropic Lighting community gathered to recognize the achievements of a Hawaiian hero and political icon.

The 25th Infantry Division (ID) honored Medal of Honor recipient and U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye during a Medal of Honor flag presentation ceremony on Sills Field, Aug. 20.

Inouye was presented a congressionally approved Medal of Honor flag by Capt. Terry Zoch, commander, Echo Company, 2nd Squadron, 6th Cavalry Regiment. Zoch and her Soldiers represented men from Inouye’s "Go For Broke" 442nd Regimental Combat Team (RCT).

According to Zoch, the senator specifically requested a commander from Echo Company present him with the flag at a Schofield Barracks ceremony to honor his men from the 442nd RCT.

"It was a great honor to present the senator with the flag," said Zoch.

Link here for the rest of Pvt.2 Aranda’s article.

Satellite television is great, but it’s nice to read at ESPN too …

Flag man knows how to stir emotions

By Michael Hirsley Special to ESPN.com
(Archive)

Updated: August 31, 2008

CHICAGO — Tomas Mendoza leads a double life.

He doesn’t change his workday outfit drastically from one role to the other, but the suburban Chicago drywall contractor adds a trademark object to achieve his unusual celebrity persona on location from Las Vegas to New York to Mexico to Puerto Rico.

When Mendoza, 52, packs his bags at home in Cicero, Ill., for a flight to one of those faraway destinations, he includes something that few other travelers take: He tucks in a national flag. Or two. Or more.

He may not be as de rigueur at big boxing events as ring announcers Michael Buffer or Jimmy Lennon Jr., but Mendoza’s frequent appearances inside the ropes during prefight introductions are making him nearly as recognizable.

He doesn’t say a word into the microphone and few know him by name. But he nonetheless hears cheers from the crowd when he enters the arena. As part of the entourages that accompany fighters into the ring, he carries and waves the flag of the boxer’s country and rouses the partisans.

Mendoza is the "flag man" of boxing, cutting a distinguishable figure with his drooping red walrus mustache.

Link here for the rest of award-winning writer Michael Hirsley’s article on ESPN’s website.

Many dry cleaners offer to clean the American flag around flag-flying holidays. Ask at yours …

When Old Glory needs a bath

By Josh Stockinger | Daily Herald Staff

Published: 8/30/2008 11:48 PM | Updated: 8/31/2008 12:37 AM

Joe Hunter doesn’t believe in part-time patriotism.

That is, if you fly an American flag – and you should, he says – do it every day. And, when Old Glory gets a little dirty, well, clean it.

"They should be flying 365 days a year," says Hunter, a U.S. Army veteran who served at the tail end of the Korean War. "It’s as simple as that."

Hunter is in a unique position to help when it comes to keeping your stars and stripes shining brightly, as co-owner of Marberry Cleaners and Launderers.

Like some others in the business, the suburban dry cleaning chain, which Hunter helped start 36 years ago in St. Charles, makes a point of offering free American flag cleanings in the hopes of encouraging locals to show their patriotism year-round.

Link her for the rest of the article by Josh Stockinger at the Daily Herald.

U.S. Air Force flag manual (91 pages PDF)

U.S. Marine Corps flag manual (71 pages PDF)

U.S. Army flag manual (82 pages PDF)

U.S. Navy flag manual (106 pages PDF).

U.S. Coast Guard uses the Navy’s NTP 13 (B) with this additional material.

Nautical flag etiquette and protocol for civilians is addressed by the U.S. Power Squadrons, and may be found in detail here. Maritime or nautical etiquette can be quite different from ordinary civilian flag code, so this is so interesting for those of us who are land-locked.

If I have made any egregious errors with this material, don’t fuss and fume about it, but please, drop me a note.

At The Daily Flag, I like to write about American postage stamps where the U.S. flag or state flags appear. Sometimes the flag is the primary focus of the stamp, and sometimes it is simply part of the overall scene. My main resource for finding “stamps with flags” is The Postal Service Guide to U.S. Stamps, 33rd Edition (2006). I cannot call myself a philatelist—not even the most amateur of one, but I do enjoy slowly scanning the pages of this book. When I find a stamp that I think contains the U.S. or a state flag, then I research more intensely.

The newly re-issued Purple Heart stamp does not have a flag on it. However, the Purple Heart medal incorporates George Washington’s family coat of arms, and because that coat of arms is the basis for the flag for the municipality of Washington D.C.—that is more than enough to send me in search of more information.

But first—the stamp. It was originally issued on May 30, 2003, at Mount Vernon, VA. The second issuance was on May 26, 2006, at the Women in Military Service for America Memorial.

Re-issued for the third time on August 7, this occasion celebrates the 75th anniversary of the Purple Heart Medal, as it exists today. The stamp features a photograph by Ira Wexler of a Purple Heart medal—the medal awarded to Lieutenant Colonel James Loftus Fowler, U.S. Marines, in 1968.

An original Badge of Military Merit

It is also the 225th anniversary of the Badge of Military Merit, the predecessor to what we now call the Purple Heart. It was established and first awarded by General George Washington on August 7, 1782.

The Purple Heart is awarded in the name of the President of the United States to members of the U.S. military who have been wounded or killed in action. It is one of the oldest military decorations in the world and the first award made available to a common soldier. Prior to Washington’s creation of this medal, only officers were given medal.

Regarding the Badge of Military Merit, Washington said:

The General ever desirous to cherish virtuous ambition in his soldiers, as well as to foster and encourage every species of Military merit, directs that whenever any singularly meritorious action is performed, the author of it shall be permitted to wear on his facings over the left breast, the figure of a heart in purple cloth, or silk, edged with narrow lace or binding. Not only instances of unusual gallantry, but also of extraordinary fidelity and essential service in any way shall meet with a due reward. Before this favour can be conferred on any man, the particular fact, or facts, on which it is to be grounded must be set forth to the Commander in chief accompanied with certificates from the Commanding officers of the regiment and brigade to which the Candadate [sic] for reward belonged, or other incontestable proofs, and upon granting it, the name and regiment of the person with the action so certified are to be enrolled in the book of merit which will be kept at the orderly office. Men who have merited this last distinction to be suffered to pass all guards and sentinals [sic] which officers are permitted to do. The road to glory in a patriot army and a free country is thus open to all. This order is also to have retrospect to the earliest stages of the war, and to be considered as a permanent one.

The original Badge of Military Merit was personally given to three men by General Washington, and remarkably, two of them still exist. The third was destroyed in a house fire.

Coming next: The connection to the Washington Coat of Arms, and how it links to several American flags.

Front side of U.S. Army coin in celebration their 232nd Birthday

The Congress met and agreeable to the order of the day, resolved itself into a committee of the whole, to take into consideration &c. After some time spent thereon, the president resumed the chair, and Mr [Samuel] Ward reported, that not having yet come to a conclusion they desired him to move for leave to sit again. At the same time they desired him to report some resolutions which they had come into.

The resolutions being read, were adopted as follows:

Resolved, That six companies of expert riflemen, be immediately raised in Pen[n]sylvania, two in Maryland, and two in Virginia; that each company consist of a captain, three lieutenants, four serjeants, four corporals, a drummer or trumpeter, and sixty-eight privates.

That each company, as soon as compleated, shall march and join the army near Boston, to be there employed as light infantry, under the command of the chief Officer in that army.

That the pay of the Officers and privates be as follows, viz. a captain @ 20 dollars per month; a lieutenant @ 132 dollars; a serjeant @ 8 dollars; a corporal @ 72 dollars; drummer or [trumpeter] @ 72 doll.; privates @ 6B dollars; to find their own arms and cloaths.

That the form of the enlistment be in the following words:

I have, this day, voluntarily enlisted myself, as a soldier, in the American continental army, for one year, unless sooner discharged: And I do bind myself to conform, in all instances, to such rules and regulations, as are, or shall be, established for the government of the sad Army.

U.S. Army coin in celebration of their 232nd Birthday, back

Upon motion, Resolved, That Mr. [George] Washington, Mr. [Philip] Schuyler, Mr. [Silas] Deane, Mr. [Thomas] Cushing, and Mr. [Joseph] Hewes be a committee to bring in a dra’t of Rules and regulations for the government of the army.

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