In newspapers of April 1939, journalists were equally blunt about the songsmiths: “Most of them aped old tunes none of them caught the spirit of the Air Corps.”

Most songs fit the rules of simple harmonic construction and vocal limits of untrained voices, more or less, but a progress update from a junior officer-liaison to Arnold noted, “Many of the songs were submitted by persons of unquestioned patriotism, but with obvious signs of illiteracy.” Members of the song selection committee pulled no punches in reporting that, after months of judging material, they had found little of value in the 700-plus entries.

Jerilyn Quintanilla)Ī deluge of entries came from all parts of the country, written by a cross section of hopefuls that included mechanics, waitresses, bureaucrats, church organists, widows, prison inmates, retirees, and even a few professional composers. Rules stipulated that “harmonic construction must be simple,” while the range “must be within limits of untrained voice” and the pace “in march tempo of military pattern.”

In the April 1938 issue of his popular magazine Liberty, Macfadden announced a song contest and put up prize money in the amount of $1,000. They found support in the form of a patriotic publisher and aviation enthusiast named Bernarr A. Oscar Westover, sought a song to capture the distinctive identity of airmen. The Air Corps had no budget of its own for such pursuits. The other armed forces had songs: “The Marines’ Hymn,” “Anchors Aweigh,” and “The Army Goes Rolling Along” (originally “The Caisson Song”). In the 1930s, the leadership of the United States Army Air Corps wanted an official service song-one that would inspire, build camaraderie, and forge an identity.

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