5 great military cadences you haven’t thought about in years

Tim Kirkpatrick
May 14, 2019 1:05 AM PDT
1 minute read
5 great military cadences you haven’t thought about in years

SUMMARY

For hundreds of years, military cadences have been used as an iconic tool to keep service members upright during formation runs and marches. Structurally designed to keep each man or woman properly covered and aligned, a cadence helps a f…

For hundreds of years, military cadences have been used as an iconic tool to keep service members upright during formation runs and marches.


Structurally designed to keep each man or woman properly covered and aligned, a cadence helps a formation of troops in PT land each step at the exact same time as everyone else, preventing a massive falling domino effect.

Related: 6 military cadences you will never forget

Members of the 99th Security Forces Group perform cadence while running in the formation (Photo by Air Force Senior Airman Stephanie Rubi)

Military cadence is a preparatory song performed by the leader of the formation during the marches or organized runs.  Many parts of these running songs are so catchy, they will be forever embedded into our heavy left feet.

Read More: 5 epic military movie mistakes

Take a listen and let yourself be transported back to the good ol' days of the little yellow bird and the days of sitting in the back of your truck with Josephine.

1. "Down By The River"

2. "Pin My Medals Upon My Chest"
3. "C-130 Rolling Down The Strip"
4. "Hey, Hey Whiskey Jack"
5. "How'd Ya Earn Your Living?"
Cadences tend to cross-breed through the different branches and change words to make them service-specific. We salute everyone for their originality.

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