Military cadence

[HoreTore]

To keep the mind occupied while doing senseless tasks.

It's surprising how much easier hard physical stuff gets when you're thinking of something else.

[Kadagar_AV]

Esprit de Corps...

May I add that it's damn morale lifting?

In my platoon, it was tradition to kidnap the new recruits, mess them up some, and then teach them the marching songs... As we served minimum 15 months, at least 3 months were overlapping with next years recruits.

Some weeks in, we put on the balaclavas and woke them up with flashbangs, dragging our weapons against the steel bunk beds, yelling, metal music on highest volume and so on...

We then put blindfolds on them, messed them up some for good measure, and dragged them out in the woods.

Out there, we had made this HUGE bonfire... The new guys were untied, and we gave them copious amounts of alcohol, spending the night bonding... Not only did we teach them valuable de facto lessons about military life, we also passed on the regiments marching songs.

The advice could be along the lines of "Army lip balm, in a pinch, work wonders to make the boots shine for inspection. Once it dry it will look like crap, but if you just want them sorted for inspection and have absolutely no time, don't hesitate".

I remember having a gruelling march, it was MURDER.... Anyway, someone started singing "Bright Side Of Life" (from Life of Brian), and seriously, it removed like 15kgs of weight from your shoulders, just like that.

So yeah, morale lifting.... And definitely a way to bond together as a group.

My favourite song was all about going to Valhall and fucking Freja, myth has it that it has survived since the Viking days.

Another one of my favourites are from the Swedish Empire times, a Carolinger song. It's completely bad ass, mainly about making Russian sons fatherless while raping their mums.

We even have our version of the known marine corps thingy, although I am not sure the marine corps invented it in the first place anyway.

"Jag vill dö med kängorna på,
för jag komma till Valhall då.

Där ska jag knulla Freja full,
ge henne ett jägarknull.

Sen ska jag dra till Moskva,
Döda ryssar och må bra!

aso aso aso...

[Kadagar_AV]

I was stationed next to some SEALs...

They sang this as they ran at times, even added a line about Swedish Rangers... It was hard not to join them running... Actually most days we did :)

from about 20 sec till 2-3 min in :)

[Husar]

Yeah, it speaks right to the tribal monkeybrain in an attempt to drive all civilization out of a man.

An attempt to turn humans into mindless killing machines until they are actually available.

[Philippus Flavius Homovallumus]

Yeah, it speaks right to the tribal monkeybrain in an attempt to drive all civilization out of a man.

An attempt to turn humans into mindless killing machines until they are actually available.

Don't you mean, "In order to scare the Civilisation into a man so that he's reliable on a battlefield."

Honestly, it's disgusting the amount of stick the average Swaddie gets (not a typo, look it up)

How many soldiers have we had on these boards?

Sigurd, Banquo, Kukri, MRD, GC...

All terrible people...

I'd add Kad and HoreTore but AFRAIK they were Conscripts - and like everything they had diametrically exposed experiences.

[Kadagar_AV]

Don't you mean, "In order to scare the Civilisation into a man so that he's reliable on a battlefield."

Honestly, it's disgusting the amount of stick the average Swaddie gets (not a typo, look it up)

How many soldiers have we had on these boards?

Sigurd, Banquo, Kukri, MRD, GC...

All terrible people...

I'd add Kad and HoreTore but AFRAIK they were Conscripts - and like everything they had diametrically exposed experiences.

Quick correction, I started out as conscript (like everyone back then), officer training program. Then went career, mainly UN service (Yugoslavia, Kosovo - is where I have most experience).

[Brenus]

French army likes marches, especially during night (as it doesn’t waste time for day light proper training) and in combat conditions (meaning you can’t have talk and things like this). It always LOVE the “commando” marches which is to cover 8 km in half running half running manners with full gear (back pack at 15 kg, plus water, plus weapon). It is painful and excruciating, in one word, harsh.
I remember finishing one of these when the platoon (I was at the Infantry Combat School of Montpellier at that time, still a soldier of Rank) and we were ordered to formation, before to go to the barracks. We were all exhausted, sweating and smelly (this I suppose), out of breath (this I remember).
Then we were order to march in “départ en chantant”, meaning when your first step (left) you start to sing. The first notes were not brilliant, for what I recalled, but after 1 or 2 meter, air starting to go in the lungs, and the song went deeper, following the slow and sad words of soldiering. The heads went up, the backs straightened, weapons hold. And this feeling to belong to an elite floods in, to be part of the ones doing this. Difficult to explain.

http://youtu.be/CcuHzo8Hsz8

[Myth]

Thanks for the stories guys. There's a reason I asked here and didn't just google it

Requesting link to the dying, going to Valhalla and baning Freja song.

If people are doing it, it must have its merits. Sounds like it does. I can tell that working out to music (especially if you're doing cardio or variance training) really helps, but I can't imagine how singing can benefit you when you're gasping for air. Guess it just works though.

[Pannonian]

French army likes marches, especially during night (as it doesn’t waste time for day light proper training) and in combat conditions (meaning you can’t have talk and things like this). It always LOVE the “commando” marches which is to cover 8 km in half running half running manners with full gear (back pack at 15 kg, plus water, plus weapon). It is painful and excruciating, in one word, harsh.
I remember finishing one of these when the platoon (I was at the Infantry Combat School of Montpellier at that time, still a soldier of Rank) and we were ordered to formation, before to go to the barracks. We were all exhausted, sweating and smelly (this I suppose), out of breath (this I remember).
Then we were order to march in “départ en chantant”, meaning when your first step (left) you start to sing. The first notes were not brilliant, for what I recalled, but after 1 or 2 meter, air starting to go in the lungs, and the song went deeper, following the slow and sad words of soldiering. The heads went up, the backs straightened, weapons hold. And this feeling to belong to an elite floods in, to be part of the ones doing this. Difficult to explain.

http://youtu.be/CcuHzo8Hsz8

Did you sing any of the ones about hating the Austrians to your dying day?

[Greyblades]

I've never understood why army units have things like initiation beatings/scares. I kinda understand doing it to a troublesome member because he constantly mucks around and acts like an idiot, but doing guy in just for joining?

[Seamus Fermanagh]

I've never understood why army units have things like initiation beatings/scares. I kinda understand doing it to a troublesome member because he constantly mucks around and acts like an idiot, but doing guy in just for joining?

It is common to most "high trust requirement" teams in various areas: soldiering, fire-fighting, etc. Integrating the new member [FNG] involves the membership determining that they can handle stress and remain "with it" while being stressed. Since they have to trust you, literally, with their lives this takes on a good deal of importance. Add in that most such units have a somewhat higher morale -- with it's concomitant 'show me you are as keen to be a part of this as I was when I joined' -- and the new member "welcoming" efforts make a bit more sense.

[Seamus Fermanagh]

...Now corrective training for screwups is a whole different thing, but even then none of its as bad as having your pay docked.

Was this "corrective training" initiated via the chain of command or peer-initiated?

[Husar]

How many soldiers have we had on these boards?

Sigurd, Banquo, Kukri, MRD, GC...

All terrible people...

By that definition WW1 and 2 must have turned us all into more civilized people and you should all be thankful to us for starting them and making them lead to the Cold War and more militarization. We should also be thankful to OBL for making us turn even more men into real men and decent people when we were on the verge of becoming despicable pussies. Putin was also in the military, as were many dictators, why are they not decent and civilized men?