Why do soldiers still learn to march even though that it’s not practical in actual combat
In: Other
Marching is about teaching soldiers to follow orders and establish discipline. It also helps teach soldiers to operate as part of a unit.
The singing soldiers do while marching serves a purpose as well. It forces their lungs to work harder to build up lung capacity.
Discipline. The military instills discipline, unity, and following orders from day one. Also, many historical ceremonies require marching, and they all have important places, like funeral processions.
[removed]
In addition to the other answers, marching is also a hold over from when it *was* practical in combat.
The the olden days, unit formation on the battlefield was very important. Marching allowed for your army to move together and maintain cohesion.
Logistics. When you have 40+ people that need to get from one place to another, you need a disciplined march to ensure those 40 Soldiers/Airmen/Marines/Sailors don’t accidentally hurt themselves or break their gear in a chaotic gaggle.
It’s a teaching tool for many reasons. How to move as a unit, how to take orders, and builds self discipline. Not moving on parade when you aren’t supposed to, making precise movements in unison, and making it look good are all individual contributions to the unit’s overall image and perceived capability.
It also teaches recruits to act when they’re told to. Much easier to embed this with drill than say on an active rifle range.
A lot of it is practical in that it makes roll calls, giving orders, and moving people easier than gaggling. There’s also the ceremonial aspect of it.
The definition I’ve always learned is “Drill is used to move a group of people from point A to point B in a smart and orderly fashion.” Teaches cohesion, obedience and discipline. Though marching isn’t necessarily used in combat anymore, drill is used to build up into other movements and more complex and relevant strategies.
It may not be so useful on the battlefield tactically, but it’s still a good way to get everyone to the dining facility and the school house at the same time in an orderly manner.
The Marine Corps calls it Close Order Drill. Below is a quote from the Drill and Ceremonies Manual that gives some of the reason we still learn the march:
> The object of close order drill is to teach Marines by exercise to obey orders and to do so immediately in the correct way. Close order drill is one foundation of discipline and esprit de corps.Additionally, it is still one of the finest methods for developing confidence and troop leading abilities in our subordinate leaders.
It’s an effective way of moving troops from point a to point b in an organized manner and teaches good response to orders
Latest Answers