In 1970, a book written by Robert Sherrill was published with the title, “Military Justice is to Justice as Military Music is to Music.” More than anything else, Robert Sherrill had few things complimentary about justice in the American military system. As a matter of fact, he excoriated what is called the justice system in the American military.
That book was written forty years ago, but I believe that it is still in my library. Mr. Sherrill is completely accurate when he tangles with the justice system in the American military. In my own military experience, I can not ever recall an enlisted man being declared not guilty in a court martial case. The reason for a court martial is simply to determine the length of the sentence. So while I agree with Mr. Sherrill in his excoriation of the American military justice system, I do take exception to the title which says that American military music is as bad as the justice system. I don’t believe that such a conclusion is warranted.
There are five military songs known to me having to do with the American Army, Navy, and Marine Corps. I will attempt to rank them, starting at the bottom. My service had to do with the United States Army and its Air Corps at the beginning. Later that was changed to the Air Force and in 1947 under the Presidency of Harry Truman it was changed to the US Air Force and the Army no longer had anything to do with the Air Force.
Let’s start at the bottom. The lyrics of the song about the Air Force go as follows:
Off we go, into the wild blue yonder,
Flying high, into the sun.
Here they come, zooming to meet our thunder,
At ‘em boys, give her the gun.
Down we dive spouting our flames from under,
Off with one hell of a roar!
We live in fame or go down in flame.
Nothing will stop the US Air Force!
This is a ridiculous song. Let’s take the last sentence to demonstrate what I have in mind. The song says, “Nothing will stop the US Air Force.” What about Japanese Zero fighters or the German fighters called the Messerschmitt 109? And how about the anti-aircraft artillery found in both armies? All of them can stop the Air Force. It first came into being during the patriotic fervor after the Pearl Harbor attacks. As far as I know, it is still the official song of the Air Force. In the rank order of military songs, the Air Force anthem deserves to be ranked at the very bottom. It should be pointed out that my service in the military was in this same Air Force.
Now we turn to the somewhat better song having to do with the United States Marines. The lyrics are:
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 Marine.
The Marine song is stirring and it makes a lot more sense than the Air Force song. Accordingly, I find it a fairly decent piece of music.
Now we move on to the United States Navy. The song that is associated with the Navy is called “Anchors Away.” The lyrics are:
Anchors away, my boys, anchors away.
Farewell to college joys, we sail at break of day.
Through our last night on shore, drink to the foam,
Until we meet once more.
Here’s wishing you a happy voyage home.
I cannot say much about the college joys. This sounds more like a song to be sung at a college football game. Nonetheless, it is probably a good bit better than the Air Force song.
Now we turn to the Army. This song has to do with the field artillery.
Over hill, over dale,
As we hit the dusty trail,
And the caissons go rolling along.
In and out, hear them shout,
Counter march and right about,
And the caissons go rolling along.
And the second verse is:
Then it’s hi! hi! hee!
In the field artillery,
Shout out your numbers loud and strong,
For where e’er you go,
You will always know
That the caissons keep rolling along.
As I progress through the lyrics of these songs, I believe that I am tending to agree with Mr. Sherrill’s assessment. In any case, the caissons are simply chests into which the artillery shells are placed to be towed to the place where they will be fired. In the olden days, horses would be used to pull the caissons to the place of firing.
Now in the case of the next line about shouting out the numbers loud and strong, that sentence would not pass the test that my eighth grade teacher, Miss Maxwell, would have used. She was a bear on proper grammar. She would have said that the words ought to be, “Shout out the message loudly and strongly.” But the fact is that Miss Maxwell was never in the field artillery unit of the American Army.
Finally we come to the hymn associated with the United States Navy. The popular name for the hymn is “Eternal Father.” Its lyrics are:
Eternal father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd’st the ocean wide and deep
Its own appointed limits keep.
Oh hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!
Amen
In later years, the Navy acquired an air force and a new verse was added, ending in “For those in peril in the air.” In terms of military music, the Navy hymn is a runaway winner.
Its history is of some interest. The original words to “Eternal Father” were written by the Reverend William Whiting of the Church of England. He resided on the English coast near the sea and had once survived a serious storm in the Mediterranean. In the beginning, it started out as an old hymn; in 1861 music was added. As things now stand, “Eternal Father” is greatly favored by the Royal Navy of the British Commonwealth and since has become part of the French naval tradition.
And so you see, my view of that hymn seems to be shared by the English and the French as well as the Americans. The three of us do not find commonality on many other questions, but on this hymn there seems to be a degree of unanimity.
While persons of my belief might disagree with the theology, the lyrics, of the song, my sole thought is in its musicality. To hear the Navy hymn sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir or by the Sea Chanters or any other male group is a moving experience for those of us who love music. I deeply regret that Fred Waring is not alive to add his Pennsylvanians to record the Navy hymn.
Well, that is my story about military music. A good part of the music is reasonably dubious. But in my estimation, it is all saved by the grace of “Eternal Father.”
But in the final analysis, American military music has a message. Some of it good, and some of sophomoric. To know that I have saved Sherrill’s book about military justice and military music says something about me. If that book were written today, 40 years later, I wonder how in the world anyone in our military could add a musical verse or two about the glories of fighting in Iraq or Afghanistan. That would make American military music abysmal. Significantly, no American song writers have undertaken the task of celebrating our adventures in Afghanistan and Iraq. That says something.
But when push comes to shove, American military justice is probably as bad as it was when Sherrill wrote his book in 1970. As for music, I can always remember that the caissons keep rolling along and in an emergency you can whip out a verse or two of “Eternal Father.”
Eternal father, strong to save,
Whose arm hath bound the restless wave,
Who bidd’st the ocean wide and deep
Its own appointed limits keep.
Oh hear us when we cry to Thee
For those in peril on the sea!
I think that those are majestic words and they tend to save the reputation of American military music.
E. E. CARR
December 24, 2010
Essay 520
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Kevin’s commentary: Did you know the second biggest air force in the world behind the United States Air Force is the United States Navy? I guess that’s what we get for spending more on our military than the next several countries put together.
Here’s the full version of “Wild Blue Yonder,” the Air Force song. It’s… yeah, it kinda sucks.
It should come as no surprise that Pop likes the Navy hymn best of all because he is, generally speaking, a fan of that style music. We actually listened to a Welsh hymn together on his 90th birthday, if memory serves.