Being in the military isn’t always as serious as it seems! Let's march through pillow fights, piano burnings and enlisted penguins, as we check out the strangest military traditions ever!
Blood Pinning
Usually, getting praised at work means a pay rise and a celebratory glass of wine. But in the US military, it’s a different story. They’re not slapping each other on the back in a congratulatory bro hug, they’re stabbing each other in the chest instead.
There’s an old US military rite of passage called blood-pinning or blood wings, that certain Army and Marine units use as a traditional way of saying well done. For example, when a soldier at the US Army Airborne School has just earned a parachutist badge, or jump wings, the instructor would put the badge’s pin against the airman’s chest and forcefully punch it into his skin. Then, the rest of the unit follows suit and thumps the airman’s pin as well often causing them to bleed.
We don’t know when exactly this ritual came to be, but it’s believed to date back to paratrooper-units in training during WWII. However, the military has become tougher on hazing since then, and in 1997
a senior Marine was discharged and nine others were punished, after footage of them blood-pinning was released. The Defense Secretary William Cohen said he was disturbed by the footage, which led to the military completely banning blood-pinning and making it a relic of the past officially. There’s video evidence that the ritual still occurs behind closed doors, and lots of troops still view it as harmless brotherhood bonding. Although many admit that the practice is pretty barbaric, and would prefer some flowers and a bottle of red if they got promoted.
West Point Pillow Fight
What does a slumber party and military training have in common? Pillow fights! Yes, starting in 2001 there was an annual pillow fight for first-year recruits at the most renowned military academy in America, West Point. The cadets would participate in the ritual as a bonding exercise, and a bit of fun before a summer of intensive officer training.
West Point USMA United States Military Academy 2016 pillow fight by RocMat1
You might be imagining giggling, pajamas and feather-down pillows. But in reality, the fights could get pretty brutal. Some trainees would fold the pillows in half inside their cases to make their blows harder; while others would inevitably get hit with elbows and knees during the chaos. In fact, the tradition had such a reputation for violence, that some combatants even showed up wearing helmets and Kevlar vests!
There’s a longstanding rumor that some of the cadets stuffed their pillowcases with hard objects so they packed more of a punch, but military officials have stated there’s no evidence this was true. Still, in 2015 the battle turned into a huge brawl with 30-injuries, including 24-concussions and a broken leg! West Point finally drew the line, and
they banned the tradition soon after, stating that unprofessional events have no place in the future of the academy. That seems fair enough, but if that’s what their friendly pillow-fights are like, what on earth do they do in their combat-training?
The Court Of Neptune: Crossing The Line
If you get seasick and are terrified of sharks, being in the Navy sounds like the worst nightmare. But serving on a ship isn’t all doom-and-gloom, and in some cases, it’s more like an amateur theater group! The Court of Neptune, or crossing the line, refers to an insane Navy tradition that dates back at least 400-years, and it’s still practiced by several countries including the US and Great Britain.
The old tradition marks the crossing of the equator line during a voyage, anywhere along the Pacific, Atlantic or Indian Oceans. The whole rigmarole begins before the crossing, when the crew divides themselves into Shellbacks who’ve crossed the equator before, and Pollywogs who are all first-timers.
The next phase involves the ship’s captain dressing up as the Roman god of the sea Neptune, and taking the Pollywogs to a makeshift court on the top deck to test how worthy they are of becoming Shellbacks. Alongside Neptune, the court is held by his wife queen Amphitrite, the malevolent spirit of the sea Davy Jones, and the royal baby, all played by senior officers. At court, the Pollywogs have to put on their best America’s Got Talent audition and perform a show. Then, they’re accused of mutiny and hazed with tasks like push-ups, kissing the royal baby’s belly, eating spicy food, or crawling across the deck in disgusting debris.
Finally, the ceremony rears its head as the boat crosses the equator line, and the Pollywogs take a "royal bath" in seawater. With this strange baptism, they officially become Shellbacks, and each gets a certificate to take back home to show their moms. In the past, the hazing was a crueler affair; as the Pollywogs would be shaved, beaten with sticks, and sprayed with hoses. However, as most militaries have tried to phase out hazing in recent years, the tradition has become more light-hearted while remaining as wacky as ever!
Order Of The Sword Induction
If you enlist in the military you’re usually issued a standard service weapon, like a rifle or sidearm. But every year some members of the US Air Force are given a weapon that looks straight out of an anime.
Lt. Gen. James Kowalski Inducted Into Order of the Sword by AFGlobalStrike
Since 1967, the US Air Force has been throwing ceremonies for celebrated commissioned-officers like Colonels and Generals, to induct them into a knightly order called the Order of the Sword. Unlike most military awards, this isn’t awarded by their superiors or the US government. In reality, non-commissioned officers like Sergeants nominate the higher-ranking commissioned officers to receive the award for their exemplary leadership and support of lower-ranked Airmen. The occasion itself is modelled on a Swedish ceremony that dates back to the 1500s, and it starts with a formal dinner and drinks reception in the recipients honor. Then it gets pretty strange, as it shifts to a special presentation where the officer is awarded with a comically massive sword.
If you’re wondering why you’ve never seen photos of a US Airmen charging into battle with a giant anime sword, it’s because, sadly, the weapons are for ceremonial purposes only. Different Air Force units actually have their own giant Master-Sword that they keep for the occasion, and the recipients are actually given a smaller, slightly lamer sword to take home.
Military Goats
When you think of animal warfare you probably picture powerful war horses and bomb-sniffing dogs. But believe it or not goats have bravely served in the British Military since 1775. This story starts at the Battle of Bunker Hill during the American War of Independence, when a goat wandered onto the battlefield and led the Royal Welsh Fusiliers regiment away to safety.
Thanks to the creature’s unintentional heroics, the fusiliers took goats on as their mascot, and in 1844, Queen Victoria gave them a real Kashmir goat from her own herd. It acted as a serving member of the regiment with its own rank until it passed away and was replaced by the Queen. From then on, the Fusiliers always had a royal goat in their ranks, and when the regiment was disbanded and absorbed into the larger Royal Welsh 1st Batallion in 2006, the tradition continued.Lance Corporal William Windsor served with the regiment from 2001 until 2009, taking part in parades, ceremonies, and generally just representing all goats everywhere. He was even given a ration of 2-cigarettes a day which he ate, and a small amount of Guinness as an iron supplement.
However, in June 2006, whilst the Battalion was in Cyprus, Will got into a bit of trouble. He failed to keep in-step during a parade marking Queen Elizabeth’s birthday, and tried to headbutt one of the marching drummers.
As a result, he was accused of disobeying a direct order and
demoted to the rank of fusilier, meaning that lower-ranked soldiers would no longer be required to salute to him! After this public fall from grace, a Canadian animal-rights group protested the demotion, and 2-months later Will was rightfully promoted back to his lofty position.After 8-years of service, William retired to Whipsnade zoo in 2009, and he was replaced by a new, 5-month old Royal Kashmir goat that was named William Windsor II. But incredibly, this isn’t the only time that a goat has been adopted by a military, and Sergeant Billy served with the Canadian 5th battalion throughout the entirety of World War 1. Unlike William Windsor, Billy actually spent time on the battlefield, and during the Battle of Neuve-Chappelle in March 1915, he famously saved two soldiers from an incoming shell. He reportedly heard the shell before it landed, pushed his comrades into a trench and took the full blast himself. What a war hero! Billy survived the blast, and his valiant efforts earned him a promotion to sergeant and 3 medals; including the Victory Medal! Sorry William, but Billy might be the GOAT of goat warfare!
The Wet Down
Reaching retirement is a big moment for everyone, and in the US Air Force, you receive a pretty unique present when you make your final flight. When an aviator that’s leaving their unit or retiring from the forces altogether lands for the last time, their colleagues, friends and family spray them down with a hose on the runway in a ritual known as a wet-down. Or, if their loved ones are feeling more generous, they’re sprayed with champagne!
The tradition has been used to celebrate retirement since WWII, and although nobody’s entirely sure who came up with it, there’s an interesting legend surrounding its origin. The story goes, young and inexperienced WWII pilots were often tasked with going on long combat missions. But, their aircraft didn’t have restrooms, and flying the old-fashioned planes through battle was terrifying, so the pilots would often relieve themselves in the cockpit. When they landed back at base, the ground-crews wanted to save them any embarrassment, so they would pour water all over the pilots so nobody knew they’d wet their pants, while claiming that they were just cooling them down. This led to ground-crews dousing the pilots with water after every flight, which gradually resulted in the retirement ritual we have today.
This is a fun military legend, but unfortunately it just isn’t true. WWII pilots actually did have attachable ‘relief tubes’ that they could use while flying, making it unlikely that they’d regularly pee themselves. So, the real origins of the ritual are still unknown, and although it makes these guys look like they’ve peed their pants, it’s really just a fun farewell!
Piano Burning
From land disputes to sweet, sweet oil, countries wage war against each other for all kinds of silly reasons. But you might struggle to figure out why an Air Force unit would want to launch an attack on a piano, by lighting it on fire.
Piano Burn by MaxwellGunterAFB Surprisingly, piano burning is actually a widespread military tradition that’s been passed down for decades. Today, it’s most notably used by Britain’s Royal Air Force and the US Air Force to honor an airman that’s fallen in battle. But it’s also used to commemorate other sad occasions, like in 2014, when the US 65th Aggressor Squadron burnt a piano after the deactivation of their unit. Similarly, the RAF’s 4th Fighter Wing actually burns one every year to commemorate the Battle of Britain during WW2.
The ritual is pretty unique, and nobody’s entirely sure where it comes from, so there are several legends surrounding its origin. One states that the first members of the British Royal Air Force in 1918 were rich, upper-class gentlemen, so they were naturally very snooty. They weren’t at all pleased when recruitment started enlisting people of lower classes. So, they began ordering the new recruits to have piano lessons to bring them up to standard.
This continued until one squadron’s clubhouse caught fire and destroyed the piano, ending the piano lessons for their cadets. The other squadrons took note of this and started burning their pianos intentionally to end the lessons for good, and they liked it so much that they started burning pianos on noteworthy occasions. That’s one way of getting out of class!This myth is pretty popular, but it’s widely disputed, and an alternate origin story speaks of a RAF pilot during WWII who’d play the piano after every mission. When he was tragically shot down during battle, his comrades burned the piano in his memory, noting that if he can’t play it anymore, nobody should. This would explain why the ritual is used to commemorate fallen pilots today. But unfortunately, we can’t be entirely sure which origin story is true, and we might never know where the fascinating tradition comes from.
Nils Olav, The Penguin Officer
We’ve already explored how the Brits and Canadians enlisted goats into their ranks. But they aren’t the only nations that have recruited from the animal kingdom. Back in 1961, Norway’s King’s Guard visited Scotland for a drill display at the Edinburgh Military Tattoo, and took a trip to Edinburgh Zoo during their stay. Major Nils Egelien admired the penguins, saying their waddling reminded him of marching soldiers.
It was love at first sight, and when the King’s Guard returned to Edinburgh in 1972, they adopted a king penguin as their mascot and named him Nils Olav, combining the Major’s first name with Norway’s King Olav V. The penguin was given the rank of Lance Corporal and continued to live in his Edinburgh enclosure, but he tragically died that same year.
So, the King’s Guard selected a second penguin to take on his name and rank, before visiting and promoting him each time they returned to Edinburgh, first to Corporal in 1982, then Sergeant in 1987. Incredibly, he was knighted during a visit in 2008, and by the time the second penguin passed away and a third adopted the title, they’d been promoted so many times, that he reached the rank of Major General in 2023. For context, this gave him the third-highest rank in the entire Norwegian Army!
Currently, Nils Olav III struts around his enclosure with his official title of
Major General Sir Nils Olav III, Baron of the Bouvet Islands and official mascot of His Majesty the King’s Guard of Norway. Yes, that’s one fancy penguin!
Sir Nils Olav promoted to Brigadier by Norwegian King's Guard by Edinburgh Zoo He’s so beloved, soldiers send fish and Christmas cards to him every year, and to top it all off, he even has his own bronze-statue outside the enclosure. He might just be the most celebrated, and decorated penguin in the world!
Navy Herndon Monument Climb
Schools and colleges often boast unique traditions that seem incredibly strange to outsiders. Military academies aren’t any different, and at the end of every year, the US Naval Academy in Maryland holds an event in which all first-year students are tasked with working together to climb to the top of the 21ft tall Herndon Monument. Then, they need to retrieve a first-year dixie-cup hat that’s been placed there, and replace it with an upperclassman’s hat.
Annual Herndon Monument Climb at Naval Academy by WBAL-TV 11 Baltimore The monument is named after Navy Commander William Lewis Herndon, who went down with the USS Central America when it encountered a hurricane in 1857. He reportedly possessed the discipline, teamwork and courage required of a sailor, so since 1940, first-year students have performed the tradition to prove that they have these qualities too.
The smooth granite surface has no handholds, so the students need to form a human pyramid to reach its peak. But that’s only half the challenge. Since 1949, older students have been greasing up the monument with 200lbs of vegetable shortening, making absolutely sure the first-years will slip off. In 1972 the obelisk wasn’t greased, and the students set a climb-time record with a speedy 1-minute-and-30-seconds. But it usually takes much longer, and the slowest climb was the class of 1998. The upperclassmen cruelly glued the dixie-cup to the obelisk, making it much harder to knock off. As a result, it took the first-years exactly 4-hours, 5-minutes and 17-seconds of hard work before they finally claimed their prize. Traditionally, it’s believed that the student who actually retrieves and replaces the hat will be the first in the class to achieve the rank of admiral. So as silly as it may seem, this ritual is incredibly important to the first-years and some believe that your military destiny really is set with the dixie!
Attari-Wagah Border Ceremony
You might be surprised to learn that the Indian and Pakistani military engage in elaborate dance-battles, and they’ve actually adopted it as a daily ritual! Its origins date back to 1947, when the British Empire withdrew from India after 300-years of colonial occupation. The British drew up borders that would divide British India into two countries: Pakistan, with a Muslim majority, and India, with a Hindu majority.
Since then, the countries have had a number of conflicts, as they’ve fought over religion and disputed regions of land. But amongst all the bloodshed,
one strange tradition stands out; the Attari-Wagah Border Ceremony. The event started in 1959, when both governments agreed to perform a daily military practice at the border between the Indian city of Amritsar and the Pakistani city of Lahore.
Watch: Beating retreat ceremony at Attari-Wagah border on I-day eve by Hindustan Times Initially, this was a simple, functional procedure, where both flags were lowered and the border-gates were closed. But over time, it’s become more elaborate as the countries have attempted to out-do each other in their shows of strength. Today, the ceremony involves soldiers from both countries yelling, marching and performing high-kicks while dressed in extravagant uniforms. From each side, proud spectators enthusiastically support their troops, until the ceremony ends with the lowering of the flags and the firm shutting of the gates. Although the dance-off is traditionally a display of rivalry, it’s also grown into a symbol of mutual respect, as a smile and hand-shake between the guards was incorporated in 2010. This just proves that dance really does bring people closer together, and, in fact, maybe we should replace all military battles with dance-offs!
Pranks
Just like an annoying older sibling, experienced soldiers often relish pulling pranks on new-recruits, and they can get pretty creative. Back in 2014, a Redditor shared that on their unnamed US army-base, the soldiers were pretty bored, so they developed a tradition of ordering the new cadets to help test the base’s radar.
In order to make sure the radar was working properly, they were wrapped from head-to-toe in aluminum foil with small holes for their eyes. Then, they were given walkie-talkies and instructed to run all around the base while waving their arms, so their superiors could track their movements with the radar.
However in reality, aluminum foil doesn’t show up on radar, and the entire operation was just a big game of Simon Says, for their amusement. Tin-foil soldiers being ordered around like Sims will never not be funny! Here’s a bizarre custom that sounds like a schoolboy prank but surprisingly isn’t, the military makes you shave your beret with a razor and water, just like shaving your beard.
Berets are worn by different militaries all around the world, especially in Army and Air Force units, as a part of their uniform. When personnel are given this beret, they’re often made to wet it and shave it down until the pattern of the thread is much clearer, and all the annoying fuzz and fluff is gone. This practice gives a militant a much neater and smarter appearance. Whilst it’s wet, it’s also a good idea to shape it to your head, since it’s often worn with a slope down to the right ear. Molding and shaving it whilst it’s damp ensures that it will stay in place for all sorts of military maneuvers, training exercises, and parades.
Shape your Beret! - The Airborne Minute by Falcon Brigade One Reddit user recounts that he refused to do this and noted that they looked "predictably horrible" in their 2021 graduation photo when passing for Unit Training in the US Army. They did, however, note that many fellow soldiers spent way too much time shaping and shaving their berets.
Cherry Blasting
In the US army, one weird ritual encourages you to get a little messy. In some Army parachuting units like the 82nd Airborne Division, it’s tradition to put a Hostess cherry pie in your pocket for your first jump after completing training. This is known as a cherry blast, because if you properly land on the side of your thigh with your knees together, you’ll get smashed pie-crust and red gloop all over your pants!
No one’s really sure when it started or why, but it’s sadly falling out of fashion. Less and less paratroopers are popping their cherries as time goes on, and Hostess pie sales to the military must be in sore decline. However, as less new-recruits know about the tradition, it’s allowed senior airmen to turn the ritual into a prank, as they give the pie to an unwitting new jumper, telling them it’s a snack for when they land.
The confused troops don’t want to disobey an order, so they jump with the pie in their pockets, and ruin their pants when they land. Whether the jumpers know about the ritual or not, the main issue with this tradition is that it’s a waste of a good cherry-pie.
The Air Force Roof Stomp
Gate-crashing somebody’s house for a party can be pretty rude, but this next tradition takes it to a whole new level. When a unit in the US Air Force gets a new commanding officer, they don’t give them a welcoming present. Instead, they perform the aptly named roof stomp; which involves going to the new officer’s house uninvited, climbing onto the roof, and stomping on it repeatedly.
When the officer goes outside to see what’s going on, the troops will climb down and let themselves in for an impromptu party, where the officer is expected to entertain them with food and drinks. Sometimes, the airmen take the festivities even further, and in 2009 a roof-stomp for Colonel Morgan at Warren Air Force Base included fire engines blaring their sirens to help get his attention!Nobody knows when this custom started, but we do know that it’s a beloved tradition on these special occasions, which is why the officer’s generally go along with it and let the airmen inside! Interestingly, the ritual isn’t always used to welcome a new arrival though, and it can also occur when an officer retires to say goodbye. Furthermore, if your commanding officer is a killjoy who wouldn’t appreciate a roof-stomp, they’re sometimes performed for a regular staff-member on base, or a fellow low-ranked Airman who can’t punish you!
Military Wedding
Weddings are full of weird traditions, but when you’re at a military wedding, things get even stranger. When a member of the military ties the knot, it’s customary for officers to stand on either side of the aisle and make an arch with their swords. The bride and groom walk through it, and the last two officers lower their swords, blocking the couple from walking on until they kiss.
If the bride isn’t in the military, then after the couple kiss and walk past the last two officers, the person on her side swats her butt with their sword, with a hearty cry of "welcome to the army" or whichever military-branch their new spouse serves in.
Marine Corps Military Sword Arch at West Point by Ken Punter The procession dates back to medieval times, when knights would also use their swords to make a corridor for the bride to walk through, and the ceremonial spank acts as an old-timey way of giving your good luck to the happy couple. When party time comes around, another military tradition dictates that the couple cut the wedding cake with a sword as well, but thankfully it’s not the same one as the butt-smacker. That’d be pretty unhygienic!
Ship Shindig
When you’re in the Navy, it’s hard to find time for summer parties, but even the Navy needs to kick back and relax once in a while. So occasionally, the captain of a ship or submarine will order a steel beach party for the crew. This will typically involve having a barbecue on board, and lowering the stern gates into the water so the sailors can swim. Playing games and sports on the deck is usually part of the festivities too, and on some boats the troops even sumo wrestle!
Steel beach picnic by Robert Duncan For obvious reasons, drinking alcohol isn’t typically allowed on board US Navy ships, no one should steer a destroyer whilst drunk! But if a ship has been at sea for 45-days straight, the captain can request a beer-day where the crew can have a few drinks to unwind. Once in a while, the stars align for the sailors and beer day coincides with a steel-beach party, letting them barbecue just like your drunk uncle at home! These brave servicemen surely deserve a chance to let loose! If you were amazed at these strange military traditions, you might want to read about
crazy military techniques. Thanks for reading!
