Radio Division, USS Earl K. Olson 1944
Author's father is at the far right
Copyright © 2024
by Ralph F. Couey
All of the services have their song, the one that is played usually when the members are walking or marching across a stage or down the street. Except for the Space Force, they have been around for a very long time. They are well known and familiar to most people and are meant as an expression of pride by the service member's themselves.
Most are stirring and inclusive across the ranks of officers and enlisteds.
Except for one.
Now for the Marine Corps, its a song that speaks of courage, strength, and honor. Words like:"
"From the halls of Montezuma
to the shores of Tripoli
We will fight our country's battles
In the air, on land, and sea.
First to fight for right and freedom
and to keep our honor clean
We are proud to claim the title
Of United States Marines."
The song starts out by referencing two critical battles where the qualities of the Corps shined brightly. In 1847, Marines were part of the force that stormed and captured Chapultepec Castle, thus ending the Mexican-American War. In 1805, Marines, in their first battle, attacked Derna, Tripoli. Not only was the attack a victory, but it was the first of many times that Marines would raise our flag over the field of a hard-fought battle.
The second part embraces the elan of the Corps, knowing that they will be the first to engage the enemy. They also vow to fight with honor, instead of as barbarians. Throughout the years and wars, Marines have done just that. The most important part of these lyrics is that there is no difference between officers and enlisted Marines. All share that legendary reputation.
Now, the Army's song says a lot of the same things. The original version was apparently written for the members of the field artillery, hence the term caissons, which are carts which carry powder and shells for the guns. It was rewritten to go like this:
First to fight for the right,
And to build the Nation’s might,
And the Army goes rolling along.
Proud of all we have done,
Fighting till the battle’s won,
And the Army goes rolling along.
Then it’s hi! hi! hey!
The Army’s on its way.
Count off the cadence loud and strong;
For where’er we go,
You will always know
That the Army goes rolling along.
A proud song, sung by soldiers advancing into battle with heart and soul. Again, there is no differentiation between ranks. Whether officer or enlisted, all fight together, all share the risk. It is a statement of pride that can be shared by all soldiers.
The Air Force, a relative newcomer, also has a song. Their focus is the sky, of course, so it goes like this:
Off we go into the wild blue yonder
Climbing high into the sun
Here they come zooming to meet our thunder
At 'em now! Give 'em the gun! Give 'em the gun!
Down we go spouting our flame from under
Off with one helluva roar!
We live in fame, or go down in flame!
Hey! Nothing'll stop the U.S. Air Force!
Brave, bold
lyrics, courageous men and women charging into the face of the enemy with clear
confidence in their ability to win any battle. Now, there is a hint of
rankism here, since pilots in the Air Force, and it's predecessor Army Air
Force, were all officers. But what it clear is the promise to all to meet
the enemy and prevail.
Now the Navy.
Anchors Aweigh
has been the Navy's signature song since about 1905. It was the fight
song for the Academy's football team, and eventually came to be the song for
the entire service. This has been the source of grumbles for a long
time. This tells of the experiences of officers boozing it up before
heading out to sea in the morning, which any sailor can tell you is a massively
bad idea. The words are completely exclusive of anything involving the
enlisted personnel. Like the other three services, when the service goes
to war, everyone goes to war. Ship's crews all share the same dangers of
sea duty as well as the hazards of battle. Even in the air contingent,
it's not only the pilots, but the enlisted crews taking care of those aircraft
on the decks of the aircraft carriers, always vulnerable at sea who share the
common dangers.
This is not a
new complaint. Enlisted men and women in the Navy have long held a grudge
against this divisive song. In my time in the service, I knew a lot of
sailors who outright refused to sing Anchors Aweigh because, as one said,
"It's got nothing to do with me." This disputes have been aired
often in the All Hands news source, in the unofficial Navy Times, and even in
the august pages of the Naval Institute publication Proceedings. All have
fallen on deaf ears, of course. Officers have their fraternity, and the
rest of us are not allowed. That we have, and will, fight and die for
this country alongside them apparently makes no difference. I have a hard
time understanding this. Why does the Navy continue with a theme song
that ignores more that three-fourths of its membership? The other
services have chosen the high ground of common service with their songs, and
have done so for decades. They can be sung with equal pride and sense of
belonging with ALL members of the service, without regard for rank or
position. Although I am a proud Navy veteran, and Chief Petty Officer, I
have to say in all honesty that I am ashamed of Anchors Aweigh.
Anchors Aweigh, my boys, Anchors Aweigh.
Farewell to college joys, we sail at break of day-ay-ay-ay.
Through our last night on shore, drink to the foam,
Until we meet once more. Here's wishing you a happy voyage home.
Really?
But what would
a new song be like? First off, it would omit all references to rank and
privilege, or the closeted academy experience. Maybe it would reference a
few battles, like the Marines. Perhaps Midway, Samar, Lake Erie, Mobile
Bay, or even Vicksburg. It would have to state clearly the value of
courage and indomitable will, and how those fights have preserved freedom, not
only ours, but everybody else's we have fought for. Everyone fights,
everyone risks, so all share in the victory as well, and so deserve the soaring
salute.
When my
writer's blood is up, I can't resist putting down words. My position as a
tour guide aboard the Battleship Missouri is a real inspiration for this kind
of effort. So one day, I just started jotting down some phrases.
One was pretty silly, "Commence Firing! Fire at will! Shoot those guns and
kill, kill, kill!" Yeah, pretty bad. But some other phrased
snuck through, such as, "Go in strength across the seas, stout-hearted
sailors guarding the free." Another one, "Wherever the grey
hulls part the waves, freedom and liberty they will save."
"Strong, proud sailors man the rails, into harm's way we will
sail. Duty calls us to the fight and none shall stand against our
might."
Shakespeare, it
is admittedly not. But I think the point is clear. If it is
"One Navy," then the song should strongly state that, without
ambiguity. I would go as far as to have a brand new tune composed, one
stirring enough to put Anchor's Aweigh firmly into the dusty bin into which it
belongs.
Okay, this was
a rant. But really, Admirals, if most of your sailors won't even sing
that song, why use it at all?
And that, in
the end IS the point.
