Good Order and Discipline

Parade im Lustgarten 9.2.1894 - Carl Röchling

Discipline is the soul of an army. It makes small numbers formidable; procures success to the weak, and esteem to all. - George Washington (Source)

Those of us who have served in the military no doubt remember our first encounter with military discipline, the bellowing sergeants, the constant cry to "move, move, move," and the swirling confusion of being in a strange place and not knowing what was to come. It can all be rather daunting.

I remember my first experience of military discipline, it was in August of 1971 when my parents drove me to Northfield, Vermont, where I had hopes of eventually winning an Army ROTC scholarship and eventually a commission in the United States Army. Norwich University is the nation's oldest private military academy, being founded in 1819.

Incoming freshmen were known as "Rooks," I believe derived from the word rookie and not from the chess piece. We were all treated equally. Equally bad. Lots of yelling and physical training in the first week. On our first morning we were awakened around 0500 by the flinging of large metal trash cans down the hallways and much shouting and bellowing.

But I've covered that all before in a number of posts, particularly this one. Suffice to say, that first year at Norwich was sufficiently arduous in an old school sort of way to get our attention. I got used to it, so used to it that by the time I arrived at Air Force Basic Training some four years later, Air Force Basic felt rather weak in comparison.

There was some yelling, but not in the style of a 19-year old upperclassman who has been told, and truly believes, that he is one of the best, the cream of the crop and that the freshmen are all that stand between him and eventual glory as a soldier in the Army of the United States. There was some physical training, but not in the style of a butt crack of dawn, "we're running until I get tired, and I never get tired," gasping, shuffling up a hill on a gravel road being led by a senior (our company commander) who was convinced that he was the very incarnation of Alexander the Great himself.

So yeah, Air Force Basic Training was, for me, a walk in the park. A veritable vacation of sorts, because I'd been there, done that, being yelled at by future soldiers. Not airmen (while one's rank in the Air Force can run from Airman Basic to full General, we are all "airmen") who were generally admin types, maintenance guys, and the like. I still thank the Good Lord that we didn't have any Security Police types among our Training Instructors (TIs in Air Force parlance, not the way more cool "DI" or Drill Instructor). Bunch of loons that lot is. (Sorry Advocaat, just calling it like I sees it.)

In fact, Basic was rather fun. I was made a squad leader after a bit of a palace coup wherein I "overthrew" my actual squad leader. Now that kid was not right in the head, liked to give speeches and sneak around messing with other peoples' lockers.

I mean seriously Bobby, unbutton one button on a dress uniform hanging in the locker and that's sort of believable, but unbutton all of them? Rank bloody amateur you were. Things were so bad in our flight that the other squad leaders wanted him gone. As in, "Hey Sarge, he might fall down the stairs seven or eight times and hurt himself. He's like, clumsy."

He was eventually drummed out of our flight and sent to our sister flight. Where they grew to hate him as much as we did. No surprise that Bobby wanted to be a Security Policeman when he grew up. I wonder if ever did, he would have fit in nicely with that lot.

At any rate, I learned a thing or two about leadership there and at tech school in Denver. I grew to really like being in charge. Bit of a tumble when I got to Okinawa with my one lonely stripe. But after a year or so (and a couple of more stripes), I got to be in charge of mid shift, midnight to 0700 was my domain. I was a benevolent ruler though, kind to my troops as they were some of the best of the best I ever served with, there and in Korea.

“Winning the men's confidence requires much of a commander. He must exercise care and caution, look after his men, live under the same hardships, and—above all— apply self discipline. But once he has their confidence, his men will follow him through hell and high water.” ― Erwin Rommel, Infanterie greift an (Source)

One of the things I enjoyed in Basic and in tech school was marching, there was something about marching with back straight and measured stride in a tight formation, all in unison. Cadence being called, forty men marching as one, the sound of our boots on the pavement, ah, brings back memories that does.

When I got to be the flight leader, the guy calling the steps, barking the commands, it was truly intoxicating. Forty men marching at my command, turning in unison like some formidable living machine. I loved it.

The steady, regular marching step was a marked feature of Roman legions. Vegetius, the author of the only surviving treatise on the Roman Empire's military, De Re Militari, recognized the importance of

constant practice of marching quick and together. Nor is anything of more consequence either on the march or in the line than that they should keep their ranks with the greatest exactness. For troops who march in an irregular and disorderly manner are always in great danger of being defeated. They should march with the common military step twenty miles in five summer-hours, and with the full step, which is quicker, twenty-four miles in the same number of hours. If they exceed this pace, they no longer march but run, and no certain rate can be assigned.

Military marching of foot formations into a battle was a common practice in most European countries for centuries, and was even carried over into the new world as recently as the American War of Independence. Since then, it has been phased out by advances in military equipment and tactics; however, Foot drill remains an important part of military education and training. (Source)

Can you imagine all those uncouth barbarians watching, and no doubt laughing, at all those little Roman dudes all dressed alike and marching in step behind those big shields and with those little swords?

Yeah, they laughed until the Romans tossed their pila* at them then smashed into them all in unison, no doubt all bellowing something in Latin and stabbing away with those nasty little swords (the gladius**), stabbing and stepping forward, stabbing and stepping forward, until there were more dead barbarians then live ones!

No doubt Beans got a little sentimental there, thinking about the "good old days."

If you are so inclined, go read this article about why soldiers march in unison, pretty interesting I thought. (In truth, by marching in step a unit is easier to maneuver and control.)

Then there is this kind of march -

Deuced hard on the legs, DAMHIK. Let's just say that one night on Lowry AFB, a hardy band of airmen, led by their intrepid squad leader (who shall remain nameless), learned how to goose step. One of the troops mentioned it while awaiting the entire flight to gather. So what the heck, they tried it, got fairly good at it, decided it was rather jarring and "let's not do that again, m'kay?"

Ah, the follies of youth.

The Stechschritt (goose step) originated in the 18th century, like other march steps, as a method of keeping troops lined up properly as they advanced towards enemy lines. It was introduced into German military tradition by Leopold I, Prince of Anhalt-Dessau, a Field Marshal whose close attention to training transformed the Prussian infantry into one of the most formidable armed forces in Europe. Other armies adopted different march steps that served the same purpose; in the British Army, soldiers were trained to swing their arms in a wide arc to allow officers to keep the advancing line in order. The Russian Empire adopted the goose step during the 1796–1801 reign of Paul I.

By the mid-19th century, the replacement of muskets with rifles greatly increased the accuracy of defensive fire. It was too hazardous to march forward into battle in precise formation, and the practice became obsolete. However, armed forces continued to drill recruits in marching techniques that now focus on team building, military uniformity, and ceremonial functions. This was true in Prussia and the later German Empire, where the goose step became emblematic of military discipline and efficiency. (Source)

So it wasn't a Nazi thing originally, it was a Prussian thing, and a lot of countries still use that as their parade step. (The command to begin goose stepping in German is Parade Marsch! I read that someplace. No, really.)

Well, alrighty then.





*The pilum (pila is the plural) was a javelin commonly used by the Roman army in ancient times. It was generally about 2 meters long overall, consisting of an iron shank about 7 millimeters in diameter and 60 centimeters long with a pyramidal head. The shank was joined to the wooden shaft by either a socket or a flat tang. (Source)
** Gladius was one Latin word for sword, and is used to represent the primary sword of Ancient Roman foot soldiers. Early ancient Roman swords were similar to those of the Greeks, called xiphos. (Source)