Cadence: Don't Embarrass Yourself

While moving your formation, your evaluating officers will often require that you call cadence.  Everyone will eventually get a chance to lead cadence, and some of you will improve your Order of Merit List (OML) Score by showing confidence and originality.  Trite, but true.  You'll be surprised what one dimensional "E" can do when there are over 5,000 cadets on the OML.

If you've got a musical inclination of any kind, cadence will seem to come naturally.  If you don't, you'll have to work harder to understand the rhythm behind it.  You have likely heard cadence called a few times in your career so far.  You know that when it's done well, it lifts morale in an amazing way; when it's done poorly, it is an embarrassment to all involved, and a joke to everyone else.  In order to avoid humiliating your comrades, you must pay attention to the elementary musical elements.

There are two kinds of cadences, often confused with one another.  They are quick time and double time.   Quick Time is a marching pace with a thirty inch step.  The proper time is approximately 100 beats per minute.  Its cadences are often slower in tempo.  See the metronome on the right side of this blog to hear the proper marching time.  At 100 beats per minute, one beat is one step.  Double Time is a running pace of approximately 180 beats per minute.  Remember that cadence is always in 4/4 time.  That's the same time signature of all your favorite pop songs.  If you're not musically inclined, you might benefit from calling out "One, two, three, four, One, two, three four," a few times before you trip on your crank.

I won't attempt to write down every cadence here, because by now you have your own favorites and .  If you're afraid to embarrass yourself, try them with the metronome before you try them in front of a platoon.  And whatever you do, do not attempt to call a running cadence while walking.

Counter Column, a.k.a. "That Thing I Can't Do Right"

The Counter Column has got to be the #1 most botched task at LDAC and in the Army at large.  It is such an uncomfortable command for troops that they occasionally stop marching and wait to be directed, or other times make up an approximation of it on the spot.  It doesn't have to be that way.  When rehearsed properly, it is actually one of the simplest commands to follow.

Counter Column is used to turn a moving formation in upon itself, so that it faces the opposite direction without causing that train wreck we mentioned earlier.

The Counter Colum: not as hard as it has to be.  Image: https://rdl.train.army.mil

The procedure is simple.  At the preparatory command, Counter Column, the formation prepares to execute the maneuver.  At the command of execution, MARCH the following happens simultaneously:

1.  Third Squad immediately executes two column-lefts so that it is moving in the opposite direction of Second Squad at a half-step (fifteen inch).

2.  Second Squad takes one additional step forward and executes a column right, followed by two steps and another column right so that it is moving opposite Fourth Squad at a half-step.

3.  Fourth Squad takes two additional steps forward and executes a column left, followed by three steps and another column left so that it moves opposite First Squad and parallel to Third Squad.

4.  First squad takes three additional steps forward and executes a column right, followed by four steps and another column right, so that it moves opposite Fourth Squad and parallel to Second Squad. 

The key to this is rehearsal.  A good platoon leader will drill outside during spare time in the first few days, so that the unit becomes used to it.

Rules for the Guidon Bearer

 

 Carrying the guidon at LDAC is a high-intensity, high-visibility task.  Photo: www.facebook.com.

The display of the unit's guidon is a time-honored tradition.  In the olden days, when troops marched in formation into combat, the guidon was used to alert the commanding general to the disposition of his subordinate units during a battle - which ones were under stress, which were still in reserve, which were moving, and which were stationery.  Couriers always knew that a unit's guidon accompanied its commander, and soldiers used them as rally points after engaging in an action.

Because of the nature of modern warfare, weaponry, and with ever more sophisticated communication techniques arising, highlighting the commander's position with a colorful flag is no longer safe or necessary.  Nevertheless, the guidon is used extensively during garrison operations as a way for commanders to mark and recognize the activities of their units, and as a source of morale for the troops.

The guidon bearer is the most visible person in the formation.  It is a high-intensity position and requires discipline and knowledge.  As a platoon leader or PSG, you must know the guidon bearer's job to make your platoon look good in front of your evaluator.  Here are some rules to remember.

1.  The Guidon always faces forward.  Wherever the formation faces, the guidon goes first and faces out.  Whenever Left Face or Right Face is called, the guidon bearer moves at a double-time to the new position at the head of the platoon.

2.  When moving, the Guidon always accompanies the PL.  You march to the right of the guidon at a one-arm-length interval.

3.  The guidon stays outside until the colors are retired.  This means all day, it never goes inside.  When the platoon goes inside, the guidon is posted at the building's main entrance.

4.  The guidon is as a weapon.  This means that the rules of drill and ceremony apply to it accordingly.  At Parade Rest, the guidon is held extended from the left hand, with the base to the right and parallel to the toe of the right foot.  At Attention, it is brought in one count toward the body and held straight up and down without moving the hand position.

At the command of Forward March, the guidon is shouldered.  At the preparatory command of Forward, it is thrust upward with the right hand, the base steadied with the left at chest level.  At the command of execution, MARCH, the right hand is brought down to the side, grasping the base with the palm facing inward and the thumb toward the ground.  On the first marching step, the left hand is then brought to the side and swings back and forth naturally as in a normal marching rhythm.  While marching, the guidon stays perpendicular with the marching surface and does not sway back and forth.

5.  The guidon accompanies the platoon during PT too.  This is why the best runner in the unit is generally given the honor of carrying the guidon on a run or a training foot march.  If the guidon bearer has to fall out to go puke, or pretend to "tie his shoe," or if he or she just can't make it, it will reflect poorly on the unit's leadership.  Nevertheless, if this happens, the guidon still must be handed off to another soldier so that it stays in the front of the formation.

The Army Birthday Run, held annually on June 14th at every major garrison, is an example of the guidon's use during a double-time march.  Photo: www.army.mil.

Marching to Chow

Cadets marching to chow at LDAC 2010.  Photo: www.facebook.com.

At camp, your favorite part of the day will likely be meal time.  You'll take in twice as many calories as you're used to, but will still manage to lose a few pounds.  Something about being outside for weeks at a time really carves those hunger lines into your cheeks.

You'll be placed in a platoon with other Cadets from across the country.  Everybody is in charge of the platoon at least once, so it's not a question of "if" you'll have to lead your buddies to chow, but "when."  This post will guide you through the steps you will take in order to complete this high-visibility task successfully.  Remember, literally everything you do at camp is evaluated.  This is no different.

1.  "FALL IN!"

First, pick a spot for your formation.  By now you have been trained to respond to the command of "Fall In" and so have your peers.  When you call for a formation with this command, it won't take more than thirty seconds for everyone to drop what they're doing and form up, at the position of attention, in front of you.

Hint: to make a formation happen faster, which will do nothing but good for your daily evaluation, first call for your squad leaders, and have them send out a warning order to their squads.  "Formation in five" will ensure the platoon is squared away, awaiting your command.

2.  "Right Face."

Whenever you move any formation from one place to another, you do so by facing the platoon to the right and forward.  Never face to the left.  (Don't bother asking why it's that way - it just is).  If you actually need to march to the left, you start marching to the right, and execute a counter column.  This is hard enough to execute that it deserves its own heading.  See the post about it above.

There two commands in a facing movement: the preperatory command, followed by the command of execution.  The preparatory command is the word "Right," issued from the diaphragm, drawn out in an ascending or descending pitch.  This alerts the formation to the coming command of execution.  The command of execution is "FACE!," issued from the diaphragm at top volume.  Having heard the preparatory command, the formation will instantly respond to the command of execution by executing the facing movement simultaneously and in synchronized rhythm.

3.  "Forward March."

The command of Forward March is in two parts.  The preparatory command is "Forward," followed by "MARCH!"  Immediately begin calling time, with "Left...left...left," each time your left foot hits the ground.  This keeps the formation in step and your evaluation in good order. 

Hint: The more confident you sound, the more confident your formation will look.

4.  "Column Left / Column Right."

Think of the formation as a moving train.  It has one path, and moves down its tracks dutifully, to whatever end.  In the old days, this often meant marching into enemy gunfire and artillery, staying in step even after their comrades were shot to pieces.  This requires the utmost discipline, and like a train, a perfectly disciplined formation of troops will march clear off a cliff if they are not commanded to stop.  (Luckily, such a platoon never existed, at least not very long).

It can be hard to steer the formation if you haven't had much practice.  You cannot derail it or turn it on a dime.  You can, however, decide how the tracks ahead will lay.  The Army steers a moving formation with the commands of Column Left and Column Right.

The preparatory command is "Column Left," issued on the left foot, or "Column Right" issued on the right foot.  The command of execution is "MARCH!"  Both the preparatory and execution commands together take one pace, or the amount of time it takes to take one step with each foot, to issue.  On the command "MARCH," the inner-most rank pivots 90 degrees on the opposite foot the command was issued.  (For instance, in Column Left, they pivot on the right foot; in Column Right, they pivot on the left).  The second rank inward faces half-right or half-left 45-degrees for one additional pace before pivoting again 45 degrees on the same foot.  The third rank inward (which is also the second rank outward) takes two additional paces before pivoting again, and the last rank takes three additional paces.

Hint: the fourth rank doesn't typically have to exaggerate the 45-degree pivoting movements because they are on the outside and generally end up giving a "round" appearance to the turning formation. 

The result, after all ranks have made the 90-degree turn, should be a diagonal-looking formation, which the ranks then correct by shortening or lengthening their stride as appropriate to make it square again.

These Chair Force cadets aren't good for much, but they know how to look pretty while they're at it.  Watch how they execute the Column Left.

5.  "Mark Time / Halt."

You have arrived at your destination.  Time to stop the train.  But you can't just yank the brakes all at once or you'll plow through the station and cause a catastrophe.  You need to allow a little space for all that tonnage to slow down.

The way to properly stop a moving element is with the command "Mark Time, March."  At the preparatory command of "Mark Time," issued on the left foot, the squad leader at the front rank of each column will prepare to stop moving and mark time.  At the command of execution, "MARCH!," the formation will stop in place and begin marking time.  You continue calling out "Left...left...left" as your left foot hits the ground, until it is time to halt.

The command to halt stops the formation and places the troops at attention.  The preparatory command is "PLATOON," issued on the left foot, and the command of execution is "HALT."  At "HALT," the formation will mark time for one more pace, and then come to the position of attention simultaneously.  If your rhythm is good, it will make everyone look smart.

6.  Left Face.

You will always face right, toward the formation, and call "Left Face," so that when they respond you will be facing them.  From there, you may choose to put them "At Ease," for further instruction.

Cadence Creativity

At LDAC, you will have a lot of down time.  You and your platoon can use it to create an original cadence routine that may result in a possible "E" evaluation in the leadership dimensions of Leads by Example (LE), Develops Others (DO), Extends Influence Beyond Chain of Command (EI) and Creates Positive Environment (CP).  Here is a video taken of some cadets a few years ago showing off their team spirit.