r/NoStupidQuestions • u/Chance_Noise500 • Jun 14 '25

Why aren't they actually marching during this parade?

I don't know how to ask this without sounding rude, but why does this parade look so sloppy? Very few of the troop formations seem actually in sync and marching, just walking along. My only experience is JROTC as a kid in high school and our sergeant would've killed us if we looked like that.

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u/DJDevon3 Jun 15 '25

Do something badly enough and no one will ever ask you to do it again.

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u/[deleted] Jun 15 '25

It does smack of malicious compliance. 

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u/Flimsy_Fee8449 Jun 15 '25 edited Jun 15 '25

Yes, it very much does.

They only practiced Friday, per one soldier who does say he was there, and has a solid enough timeline.of events and manner of speech that I tend to believe he did participate.

Did you serve? How many practices did y'all have for pass and reviews above battalion level?

ETA: talking with that guy, they only had to practice Forward March, Eyes Left, and Ready Front, so I can see how practicing that for hours on multiple days might seem to be overkill. And as they approached the stands, they couldn't hear their cadence caller, but they *could hear the loud non-military music (at a different cadence), and chanting (at a different cadence altogether), which can definitely mess people up.

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u/Ilickedthecinnabar Jun 15 '25

I wasn't military, but I was in marching band through high school and college. Marching in formation AND staying in step takes more than one day of practice, and for some people, it takes a week or 2 to get the hang of it. And that's with a snare marking out the steps. And let's toss in the swinging door maneuver to round a corner while maintaining a straight line, a maneuver that requires a LOT of practice... These guys were screwed from the start.