The Army Goes Rolling Along
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Service anthem of  United States Army
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| Also known as | "The Army Song" |
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| Lyrics | Harold W. Arberg, November 1956 |
| Music | John Philip Sousa, 1917 |
| Adopted | November 11, 1956 |
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"The Army Goes Rolling Along" is the official song of the United States Army and is typically called "The Army Song". It is adapted from an earlier work titled the "U.S. Field Artillery March".
As the U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Air Force, and U.S. Coast Guard had already adopted official songs, the Army was eager to find a song of its own. In 1948, the Army conducted a contest to find an official song (Tom Lehrer claims to have submitted "It Makes a Fellow Proud to Be a Soldier" in this contest), but no entry received much popular support. In 1952, Secretary of the Army Frank Pace asked the music industry to submit songs and received over 800 submissions. "The Army's Always There" by Sam Stept won the contest, and an Army band performed it at President Dwight D. Eisenhower's inaugural parade on January 20, 1953.
However, many thought that the tune was too similar to "I've Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts," so the army decided to keep much of the melody from the U.S. Field Artillery March but with new lyrics. A submission of lyrics by Harold W. Arberg, a music advisor to the Adjutant General, was accepted. Secretary of the Army Wilber Marion Brucker dedicated the music on Veterans Day, November 11, 1956. The song is played at the conclusion of most U.S. Army ceremonies, and all soldiers are expected to stand at attention and sing. When more than one service song is played, they are played in the order specified by Department of Defense directive: army, marine corps, navy, air force, and coast guard.
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