August 2, 1997 - Cadences

(Note: this was a 4 day journal entry, so it has been broken up accordingly.) 
970802 - Wednesday we snapped in some more and had an ISMT activity which is a simulated rifle hooked up to a computer. I didn't do too bad but not too good either. Thursday it rained all day and we were supposed to shoot to get our sights zeroed. We did and I did terribly because I was shivering the entire time. By this point I was extremely discouraged. Yesterday morning we ran the PFT. I did 80 sit-ups, 8 pull-ups, and ran the 3-mile run in 20:07, for a total of 227 points. Our platoon avg. was 228; the best in the company by 11 points. After the PFT, we re-shot the zeroing exercise. This time I did very well. After chow we did the ISMT again and I did Awesome! Today we hiked 10 miles. It wasn't bad until we got back and stopped. Then I got sore. That wore off eventually, though and now I'm just motivated. There are only 27 more days left and I'm very excited!
Whenever we went on humps (hikes), if we were walking as we should be (meaning that we were staying in a good formation and the DIs didn't have to keep yelling at us to fix ourselves), we would call cadences. Well, more accurately, the DI would call them out and we would repeat them. These cadences, along with those we said when running in formation at PT, were a highlight of my time at boot camp. I enjoyed it so much that years later, when I coached some Cross Country teams, I would call cadences for them. I even called cadences for the girls' field hockey and lacrosse teams that my wife coached. I think the high school students enjoyed it, but I know I loved it.


When hiking or running, calling cadences actually serves a couple of valuable purposes. First, it helps to get your mind off of what you're doing. If you're chanting or yelling about something, it's harder to focus on the pain in your feet or neck or back (unless or course that's what you're chanting about). Second, it helps to keep you in step. This is less relevant when hiking but it's very important when running in formation. It's pretty hard to run as a cohesive unit when you're all running at your own pace. Third, calling cadences helps you to control your breathing. It's not easy to hyperventilate when every four steps you're yelling something. You are forced to breathe in when you're not saying anything and breathe out when you are. And finally, cadences are just motivating. There's just something awesome about a group of Marines running (or hiking) along, yelling the same cadences together.
I've written some of my favorites below. Most of these were for running, but some were used for hiking and some for both. I only wrote each line once, so you'll have to imagine that the line is called out and then repeated by the platoon.
Little Yellow Birdie
Little yellow birdie with a little yellow bill,
Landed on my window sill.
Lured him in with a piece of bread,
Then I crushed his little head!
If I Die
If I die,
In the combat zone,
Just box me up,
And send me home.
You can tell my ma,
I done my best.
You can pin my medals,
Upon my chest.
C-130
C-130 rolling down the strip,
My Marines are gonna take a little trip.
Stand up, buckle up, and shuffle to the door,
Jump right out and shout, MARINE CORPS!
If my 'chute don't open wide,
I got another one by my side.
If that 'chute should let me down,
I'll be the first one to hit the ground.
Hookin' and a jabbin'
Slashin' and a stabbin'
Turn Up the Volume
(This one was for when we weren't being loud enough)
Turn up the volume,
Just like a radio,
Hi-fi stereo.
TURN IT UP!
In the front!
TUNR IT UP!
In the middle!
TURN IT UP!
In the rear!
Pain!
Pain!
In my legs!
Pain!
In my back!
Pain!
In my neck!
I don't care!
I like it there!
I love it there!
I need it there!
To feel it there!
Hey Hey Whiskey Jack!
Hey Hey Whiskey Jack!
Meet me down
by the railroad track
With a Bottle in your hand
I’m gonna be a drinking man

A drinking man

Hey, Hey Whiskey Jack
Meet me down
by the railroad track
With a K-bar in your hand
I’m gonna be a stabbing man

A stabbing man
A drinking man

Hey, hey Whiskey Jack
Meet me down by the railroad track
with a bible in your hand
I’m gonna be a preaching man

A preaching man
A stabbing man
A drinking man

Hey, hey Whiskey Jack
Meet me down by the rail road track
with miss Suzy in your hand
I’m gonna be a loving man

A loving man
A preaching man
A stabbing man
A drinking man

Hey, hey Whiskey Jack
Meet me down by the rail road track
with a rifle in my hand
I’m gonna be a shoot n’ man

A shoot n’ man
A loving man
A preaching man
A stabbing man
A drinking man

Hey, hey Whiskey Jack
Meet me down by the rail road track
with an e-tool in my hand
I’m gonna be A killing man

A killing man
A shoot n’ man
A loving man
A preaching man
A stabbing man
A drinking man

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