The culture of any society is multifaceted and consists of many layers. One of the most unusual and controversial is the army tradition, which to one degree or another we encounter almost daily. Let us try to consider a small part of them through a story about such a manifestation of it as military names and slogans.
Military motto: why and for what?
The military motto is a short saying that carries a certain semantic load. They have the motto of both the military branch and individual military units with a long combat history. As examples, we can cite the famous “Nobody but us!” near the Airborne Forces or “Where we are, there is victory!” - Marine Corps of the Russian Federation.
For any soldier or officer, the motto of the unit carries a sacred meaning. This is more than just a beautiful saying. This is a battle cry with which they engage in battle, die, and win. The military motto becomes a piece of the heart of a fighter, which is not a matter of honor to be put to shame.
History
The first of the military mottos in the modern sense can be considered the famous Ave, Caesar, morituri te salutant! ("Those who go to death greet you, Caesar!"). By right of the strong, the imperial legions took this saying from the gladiators who entered the arena, greeting their commander before the battle.
The German-speaking principalities, and then Hitler, have been expanding for centuries to the lands of the Russian states under the general slogan Drang nach Osten (Onslaught to the East), which can safely be considered the motto of an aggressive policy. The expression “The burden of a white man” has always been considered an unofficial justification of the colonial atrocities of the British Empire.
All subsequent history is replete with similar examples. Here are a few relating to Russia: “For Faith, Tsar and Fatherland” - the motto of the Russian imperial army, or “For our Soviet Motherland!” - The Red Army during the war with Nazi Germany.
Modernity
The military motto as one of the elements of the distinctive symbols of the types and arms of service is widely used throughout the world. For example, Finnish pilots bear the inscription “Quality is our strength” on their wings; the arms of their Australian counterparts adorn the proud “Through thorns to the stars”; the French army depicts on the chevrons - "Honor and Fatherland"; the Germans have a concise and strict - "We serve Germany."
With the greatest pathos, the US Army approaches this issue. Here, not only the state structure itself has its own motto (“Army from one”, which replaced “Become everything you can” in 2001), but also most of the units flaunt such “personalized” pearls. For example, the 101st Airborne Division speaks under the slogan “Date with fate”, and the 2nd Infantry Division claims “We will not yield to anyone!”. By the way, both units participated in campaigns where American weapons, to put it mildly, did not gain military glory - Korea, Vietnam, Libya, Iraq, Afghanistan. However, the Yankees did not decrease this arrogance and self-confidence.
In the army of the USSR, and then Russia, a similar tradition was not too common. However, a certain tendency has recently been outlined, and, according to the order of the Minister of Defense Sergey Kuzhugetovich Shoigu, the rear officers officially received the military motto “Nobody is better than us!”.
Funny
No wonder there is a separate section of humor called the “army”. Witters in uniform for a long time and in large numbers “give birth” to various unofficial military speeches and slogans, many of which tightly “stuck” to certain types and arms of the army. As soon as they are heard, it immediately becomes clear who they are talking about: “I don’t fly and I won’t give others” - the Air Defense Forces (Air Defense Forces), “For communication without marriage” - signalmen, “We are changing landscapes” or “After we are only silence ”- guys of the Strategic Missile Forces (Strategic Missile Forces). The slogan “The fact that you are not yet in prison is not your merit, but our flaw” - no comments are required.
Paramilitary games
Boys can’t live without games, and even when they grow up, they sometimes want to play war games. The way out was found! Matured youths invented a large number of different games and events on military subjects - airsoft, laser tag, paintball and many others. As a rule, these are team types of entertainment. Each of the teams is trying to stand out from the mass of others, and therefore the military names and mottos of the teams are sometimes striking in their originality. But there may also be full copies of parts existing in real life. For example, the name and motto of one of the special forces of the Russian Federation (the slogan of the Vympel detachment is the phrase "Terrorism is a disease. Meet the doctor!") Often appears at various airsoft events.
Lovers of historical reconstructions deserve special mention. Fans of this type of entertainment carefully restore the form, ammunition and weapons of the various units that took part in a particular battle. In this case, all, even the smallest, parts of the equipment are copied. That is why on the chevrons, emblems and standards you can see the military motto of the unit that the participant represents. This is especially noticeable on the form of the imperial guard of Napoleon and parts of the SS.
Kids games
Military mottos and team names are used not only in "adult" entertainment. Many people remember the old pioneer game "Zarnitsa", which is now transformed into a variety of team games in the framework of the program of military-patriotic education of the younger generation.
These camps are not just called “paramilitary”. Everything is like in the army: from the daily routine and life in the field to the strict requirement of discipline. One of the first tasks for new arrivals, as a rule, is to come up with the name of the team, company, platoon, etc., as well as a motto on a military theme. A serious educational effect is hidden here: the motto for the detachment will be that guiding star, the light of which will illuminate the unit’s path throughout its existence.
However, in ordinary, “civilian”, children's recreation camps, wards are divided into separate units. And quite often the detachment can choose a motto on a military theme. This does not mean aggressiveness to vacationers. Rather, it is about an excess of energy and certain ambitions. And how military mottos and team names to apply and develop depends entirely on the surrounding adults.
Psychological aspects
If you look from the point of view of psychology, then military mottos for teams appear in two main qualities.
- Firstly, this is a powerful way to suppress the “ego” of each of the fighters, and at the same time direct their forces and capabilities to achieve a team result. Everyone should understand that victory can be achieved only by combining the efforts of all who are nearby. For example, the Canadian military's slogan “We stand by your guard”: here is a direct message to unity and community (“We”), and the main task of the army (“guard” of the state) is indicated.
- Secondly, if the motto of the unit is perceived by the soldier as something inseparable from him, very personal and valuable, he serves as an impetus to action, a kind of trigger that mobilizes all the internal forces of man. Not one paratrooper, knowing the great “Nobody but us!”, Will even think in a critical situation of shocking, retreating, evading the battle. Everything is simple here: he understands that, apart from him, no one will do this. And the warrior is not only obliged, but also obliged, and maybe he will do it.
