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Military cadence

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United States Army soldiers calling cadence, during Basic Combat Training at Fort Jackson, South Carolina, in 2008

A military cadence or cadence call is a call-and-response work song sung by military personnel while running or marching. They are counterparts of the military march. Military cadences often take their rhythms from the work being done, much like the sea shanty. Cadences usually have a call and response structure in which one servicemember initiates a line, and the remaining servicemembers complete it, instilling teamwork and camaraderie.

United States Military

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The Duckworth Chant

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A V-Disc ⓘ issued in 1944 credits the origin of "The Duckworth Chant" (also known ad "Sound Off") to Private Willie Lee Duckworth of Sandersville, Georgia, an African-American soldier serving in the United States Army.

... as a company ... was returning from a long tedious march through swamps and rough country, a chant broke the stillness of the night. Upon investigation, it was found that a Negro soldier by the name of Willie Duckworth, on detached service with the Provisional Training Center, was chanting to build up the spirits of his comrades.

It was not long before the infectious rhythm was spreading throughout the ranks. Tired soldiers started to pick up their step in cadence with the growing chorus of hearty male voices. Instead of a downtrodden, fatigued company, here marched 200 soldiers with heads up, spring to their step, and happy smiles on their faces. This transformation occurred with the beginning of the Duckworth Chant.

Upon returning to Fort Slocum, Pvt. Duckworth, with the aid of Provisional Training Center instructors, composed a series of verses and choruses to be used with the marching cadence. Since that eventful evening, the Duckworth Chant has been made a part of the drill at Fort Slocum as it proved to be not only a tremendous morale factor while marching, but also coordinated the movements of close-order drill with troop precision.[1]

This original cadence was recorded as "Sound Off":

Sound-off; 1 - 2; Sound-off; 3 - 4; Cadence count; 1 - 2 - 3 - 4; 1 - 2 — 3 - 4.

This cadence, known as the "Duckworth Chant", still exists with variations in the different branches of the U.S. military. Duckworth's simple chant was elaborated on by Army drill sergeants and their trainees, and the practice of creating elaborate marching chants spread to the Air Force, Marine Corps, and Navy.

A musical version of the chant was recorded by Vaughn Monroe and His Orchestra (Voc.: Vaughn Monroe & Chorus in New York City) on March 7, 1951. It was released by RCA Victor Records as catalog number 20-4113A (in USA)[2] and by EMI on their His Master's Voice label as catalog number B 10086.

A variant of that cadence was used in the 1949 film Battleground and in the 1981 film Taps, filmed at Valley Forge Military Academy and College in Wayne, Pennsylvania. It appears in two versions in the film, both ending in the same cadence.

Jody calls

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In the United States, jody calls (also spelled jodie) are named for "Jody", a mythical civilian whose comfortable lifestyle is contrasted with the austerity of military life.[3] Common themes of jody calls include homesickness, the difficulties of military life, personal boasts, and loyalty.[3]

In other countries

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During the 2017 Venezuelan protests, a cadence sung by Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) officers which expresses wanting to kill protesters went viral: "Quisiera tener un puñal de acero para degollar a un maldito guarimbero" (Spanish: I wish I had a steel dagger to slit the throat of a damn guarimbero).[4][5][6]

Collected cadences

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Some common cadences include:

As soon as 1952, the U.S. Army adopted "The Army Goes Rolling Along" as its service theme song, with the lyric "count off the cadence loud and strong" a reference to Duckworth's cadence. Its melody and lyrics derive from the traditional "When the Caissons Go Rolling Along".

The United States Marine Corps and US Naval Academy use a modified version of the rhyme "Old King Cole", referencing Chesty Puller: "Chesty Puller was a good Marine and a good Marine was he".[10]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Lentz, Bernard (1955). The Cadence System of Teaching Close Order Drill and Exhibition Drills, p.70. Pennsylvania: Military Service Publishing.
  2. ^ RCA Victor Records in the 20-4000 to 20-4999 series
  3. ^ a b Knight, Jeff Parker (April 1990). "Literature as equipment for killing: Performance as rhetoric in military training camps". Text and Performance Quarterly. 10 (2): 157–168. doi:10.1080/10462939009365965. ISSN 1046-2937.
  4. ^ ""Quisiera degollar a un maldito guarimbero": los escalofriantes versos que cantan los militares chavistas". infobae (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  5. ^ "Video: 'Quisiera degollar con un puñal de acero a un maldito guarimbero', gritan militares en Venezuela durante entrenamiento". Prensa (in Spanish). 2017-05-05. Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  6. ^ "Funcionarios del Sebin entrenan con consignas de odio contra la oposición". Diario Las Américas (in Spanish). Retrieved 2023-11-19.
  7. ^ Burke. p. 439.
  8. ^ Burke, p. 425
  9. ^ a b Ryan, Casey (2003). Cadences of the U.S. Army. San Diego, California: Documentary Recordings.
  10. ^ "PowWeb".

Bibliography

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  • "ADA cadence calls." 1988. Source: Air Defense Artillery. May–June, 1988, pp. 33–40.
  • Casey, Ryan. 2002. Cadences of the U.S. Marine Corps. San Diego, CA: Documentary Recordings. "Cadence calling directions; U.S. Marine Corps running cadences; Recon Marines; U.S. Marine Corps pride; Service rivalries; U.S. Marine drill instructors; Humorous cadences; From WWII to the War on Terror; 'Shorties'; U.S. Marine Corps marching cadences." ISBN 0972428100; 9780972428101.
  • Deutsche Bundeswehr. 2008. German Army morning running cadence. "This is our own style and not a copy. Running cadences have to be faster than marching cadences. When marching, we're chanting "Infanterie, du bist die Krone aller Waffen", "Hätt ich nur eine Krone", "Grün ist unser Fallschirm", "Oh du schöner Westerwald", "Grüne Teufel" etc. Every branch has their own traditional cadences."
  • Dunnigan, Timothy P. 1997. Modern military cadence. Alexandria, Va: Byrd Enterprises.
  • Engstrom, John, and P. C. Butler. 1987. Count cadence count. Fallbrook, Calif: Best Military Publications.
  • Frary, Joel. 2006. Army cadences. "Frary discusses the origin and importance of cadences in both a historical and moral context. Also, a brief background of the purposes of cadences, including their emotional, artistic and traditional attributes are discussed."
  • Jody calls, armor cavalry. 1976. [Fort Knox, Ky.?]: Army. "Armor cavalry jody calls".
  • Johnson, Sandee Shaffer. 1900. Cadences: the Jody call book. Canton, Ohio: Daring Press. ISBN 0938936115; 9780938936114.
  • United States Army Infantry Center. 1984. Jody calls. Ft. Benning, Ga: The Center.
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