“Jodie Calls” or “Cadences” are sung by the military while marching in rank. All branches of the military sing jodies — even the Marine Corps.
They are used to keep the troopies in time, and — more importantly — as a morale-builder.
When I went through Basic Training at Ft. Jackson in 1985, the New Army sensitivity hadn’t quite made it down to us, as a result, we still sang the older jodies. Vulgar, tasteless, obscene and scatological doesn’t quite cover it.
As Army recruits, we were firmly informed that we had two missions in life. The first of these was to kill people. The second was to break things. Those were our duties.
As a result, our jodies revolved around killing the enemy, killing Jody (the civilian at home who was topping your girl while you were in uniform), dying ourselves if we screwed up; about blowing things up, burning them down; loud, lewd ruminations about women, their morals and anatomical details…
Y’all get the picture. Not exactly Politically correct, but we were a bunch of piss-and-vinegar 18 year-olds who were training to become United States aRmy soldiers. We were not the Rover Scouts, and if you couldn’t handle harsh language and vivid imagery, then you didn’t need to be anywhere near where we were marching.
I bring this up, because apparently the USMC upper echelon has lost their ever-loving minds.
They seem to have developed an organization-wide wedgie concerning a song sung by a Marine, for the amusement of other Marines.
Rumour has it that some high-level marine-type officers are looking for an excuse to bust these kids.
Folks, any USMC officer of LTC (that’s Lieutenant-Colonel, I’m Army, stuff your LtCol) rank or higher was probably indoctrinated into the U.S. military at the same time that I was.
Any officer of LTC rank or higher sang the same damned jodies that I did at the time.
If I chanted “Bodies, Bleeding Bodies”, “Napalm Sticks To Kids”, and “Up Jumped The Monkey” then those very officers did, too, if not worse ones.
Any officer that breaks it off in those kids for singing a song that is considerably tamer than the cadences that officer sang when said officer was the same age as those kids is one hypocritical bastard.
And you can quote me on that one.
LawDog
14 thoughts on “Jodies and Hypocrits.”
Comments are closed.
Not to mention the fact that the chorus of said song is largely a direct quote from “Team America: World Police” — highly un-PC but for the most part a pretty funny movie. The point of the song, as I read it, was to underscore the kicka** reputation of Marines in general, not to incite anyone to go out and shoot Iraqis. The idea that anyone up the chain of command would let one of his (or her) Marines take a hit over something so petty is shameful.
Just goes to show that in addition to being hypocrits, our top brass are also humorless PC-mongerers with little backbone.
I am extremely exercised about this; these brass are supposed to be MEN, protecting and guiding their men. Between harassing Belile and the overly-harsh treatment of those military members involved in Haditha despite no charges being filed, it doesn’t appear this is our fathers’ military. Our yours anymore, LD.
Furthermore, the PC trickle-down manifested itself in a young Marine, 23, recently home from Iraq to visit his father, our next door neighbor. During a conversation about how soldiers used to bring their weapons home with them, said young Marine opined he didn’t see any reason anybody here needed an automatic weapon. When I asked if he thought 2A was to protect hunting rifles, he said ‘no, muskets’. And he wasn’t laughing, although his dad thought that the height of wit.
Singing during marching was indeed a morale builder…
In Korea, what we did to “I’m Moving On” would have had Hank Snow plumb upset, I imagine. And the Weavers wouldn’t have approved of the new lyrics to “On Top Of Old Smoky”.
:), Art
‘Dog,
I appreciate your support of this fine, young, Marine. My Blog today is also about him. Please check your e-mail for more info about Josh.
Holly
This is what you get with a pussified, feminized, equalized, sensitized military. Unfortunately you will also get one that is demoralized. Not to mention one of lesser quality. You can’t help it. You can’t have warriors when you make them wimps. You can’t ask for excellence when you lower standards for people of lesser ability.
Anybody read about the Navy “sailor” who blubbered and cried in front of Zacharias Moussaoui in court!?!?!? My god George Patton must have been spinning in his grave. Not in battle or when she was being raped and tortured as a POW. In a freaking courtroom. Moussaoui berated her right there in the courtroom as a miserable coward and said her behavior was disgusting. Hell, he was right. She should have been court marshaled for cowardice in the face of the enemy.
Well, I suppose if we can’t whip the Islamists we can always take on the French.
Thinking I’m getting out of Uncle Sam’s Misguided Children at the right time. Al lthis PC shit and keeping Marines in the brig in Pendleton in irons, forget the whole Innocent until Proven Guilty bit. EAS can’t come soon enough.
You forgot “I’ve Got A Girl in Kansas City”
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. In 1973 we sang “A Yellow Bird” as we marched by the WAC barracks. When I retired you couldn’t mention killing… This was the Army!
What really disturbs me is that the military officers are so clueless. In a wussified world theirs is necessarily the last bastion of unapologetic warrior culture. They train thousands of men AND women to be a part of that culture and then punish them when they prove they are fully aculturated. These “gentlemen” need to re-examine their lives. If they are uncomfortable with being warriors they should leave the military.
Random death
author unknown
low cadence
by the way this one is my alltime fav.
left right left right left right kill!!! left right left right you know we will!!! I went to the market() where all the ladies shop(troops repeat) pulled out my machette(sic)() and began to chop!!!(troops repeat)
2nd vrs repeat and sub I went to the playground() where all the kiddies play(troops repeat) pulled out my uzi() and began to spray!!!()
3rd vrs repeat and sub I went to the pool() where all the kiddies swam() pulled out my m-16 and made like it was nam!!!() left right left righ left right kill!! left right left right you know we will!!
BTW when did you guys get out because we were chanting those classics and the one mentioned above when I went in mar 2001 and all the way till I got out mar 05. the army has no policy on saying kill. the army has not gone softer since you got out. we are still a hard bitten bunch of piss and vinagar lads that will utterly destroy whatever our dear country deams an enemy. we just look better doin it then you guys did! j/k way better.
I leave you with this one
yellow ribbon
I cant think of how it starts out but it goes something like this
Around the park she pushed the babie carriage she pushed it for that soldier who was far far away far away far away she pushed for that soldier who was far far away
and in her hair she wore a yellow ribbon she wore it for that soldier who was far far away far away far away she wore it for that soldier who was far far away
behind the door her daddy kept a shotgun he kept it for that soldier who was far far away far away far away he kept it for that soldier who was far far away.
Six out
I couldn’t agree with you more, Lawdog. I think it’s terrible to make people soft when they’re going to have to go into combat. Why not just kill them where they’re at and save the expense of shipping them to the war zone?
To the best of my knowledge, the Army has no official policy against Jodies, but then again, people tell me the Army is already totally pussified, so the drill sergeants may just be teaching the pretty pink Jodies to the new recruits.
Just another legacey from the clinton years. Do the math and figure out when most of those pus-heads had to have been promoted to general…
When I was in we had one about “violating” the local rancher’s cattle.
We used to do some in High School JROTC back in the 1960s.
“See that woman dressed in black?
She makes money on her back…”
Etc.
Hehehe…
I called cadence in a past life. Good memories, everyone.
“See that airplane flying high…”
“Dropping napalm from the sky…”