9 Uniforms, 9 Marches, 250 Years

Here are nine videos, plucked from YouTube, presenting the official marches of the U.S. government’s eight uniformed services, plus one uniformed civilian service that also deserves inclusion. While four of the songs enjoy near-universal recognition, the other five are more obscure. For that matter, a couple of the uniformed services aren’t that well-known, either. (At the bottom, I also include a tenth video—this one of a patriotic song that I composed and performed in 2020.)

For those readers trying to count all nine services on their fingers, here’s the list: There are the six branches of the U.S. military—the Army, Marines, Navy, Air Force, Space Force, and Coast Guard. There’s also the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Commissioned Officer Corps and the Public Health Service Commissioned Corps. And finally, the lone civilian entity included here is the U.S. Maritime Service.

These nine marches have colorful histories. Below, you can listen to all nine songs and read some lore associated with each, plumbed from the archives of the distinguished Faculty of Music at the University of Wikipedia. On rare occasion, members of that esteemed professoriate make errors and omissions, and so do I. So, corrections and additions are welcome in the comments section below. Additional lore about these services and their songs are also especially welcome.

Enjoy the music and stories, and, for those readers in the U.S., have a safe and happy 4th of July weekend. If you’re outside of the U.S., please enjoy this little musical celebration with us.