"Short Wave Sportfishing" wrote in message
...
On Tue, 21 Nov 2006 19:40:59 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"Eisboch" wrote in message
om...

"JoeSpareBedroom" wrote in message
...

I thought you were a teacher. Is "you wouldn't understand" one of your
better classroom techniques?

It is impossible to explain something to someone who has already decided
the subject does not exist.

I don't see that Harry has done that. I see the marching thing as another
form of musical theater, no different than a Broadway musical or the smoke
machines so many rock acts are fond of on stage. But I'll bet someone here
objects to this analogy.

Hmmmm - that's an interesting way to put it.

For example, various war preparations of different cultures use
precisely defined dance along with drum and/or base music like
unaccompanied singing with rudimentary instruments in accompaniment to
get the troops ready for battle. It was practice, warm ups and morale
boosting all in one. This type of drill is basically a form of dance.

However, marching in a disciplined fashion with the attendant
directional techniques (like moving in the oblique) has military
value. Alexander the Great's father, King Phillip, developed
something that is actually seen today (with variations) in mass troop
movements - the phalanx. A phalanx consists of 256 men formed 16 by
16 in square formation, carrying 18-foot-long pike poles called
sarissas and according to contemporary accounts, was incredibly mobile
being able to move forward, backward, angled and side-to-side in step
and as one unit. In this situation, the phalanx was practically a
tank. That requires an amazing amount of discipline and coordination
which was invaluable in set piece battles - a commander like Alexander
could put this to good use in both skirmish lines with smaller units
and large unit engagements.

This phalanx technique translated into was we see in Western military
traditions best exemplified by the British infantry. Massed ranks of
rifles in phalanx could bring incredible coordinated power to bear
also in set piece battle. British troops could wheel as one,
fire/reload by rank and even move and fire by rank. That of course
eventually became a problem as mass movements and coordinated fire
became superfluous against more mobile opposition infantry.

Today's military use marching is a way to instill discipline,
camaraderie and unit cohesion - it's basically a training drill and is
called - wait for it, wait for it.........

Drill.

To return to your point about theatre, in some ways I can understand
why you would think that way because a well coordinated drill team
taking basic rifle handling to a whole different level is theatre in a
sense. A good example was when I was at Ford Bragg - my group was
there and we were going to show those Army pukes...er...Army types how
it was done in the real military. :)

That was pure theatre.

So in one way, it has a military function and in another, it is pure
theatre of the highest sort.

And there's nothing wrong with theatre. It's Cirque du Soleil, brought to
the armed forces.

By the way, organized phalanxes make fabulous targets. May as well hang a
"shoot me now" sign on your uniform.