Sergeant Mulkaehey

Sergeant Mulkaehey was a hymn penned by Marine Lieutenant Olizard Harlu in the wake of the. Dedicated to a friend of Harlu's who had been killed during the fighting, it was composed and sung in a drawling, obtuse dialect of and meant to be accompanied by a trio of horn-pipes.

The song's low, mournful tones and exhortations of courage in the face of battle struck a chord in the officers and soldiers of the Marine Corps as well as civilian music critics. It soon became the chosen piece played at Marine funerals and memorial services, so much so that by the time of the it was officially adopted as the Marine Corps Hymn.

Behind the scenes
The song itself is based on the lament ', written by Joseph Kilna MacKenzie, which is featured in the film '.