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WASHINGTON — The U.S. Space Force released its official song, titled "Semper Supra," on Tuesday.
The song was unveiled for the first time during Chief of Space Operations Gen. John "Jay" Raymond's speech at the 2022 Air & Space Forces Association Air, Space and Cyber Conference in Maryland on Tuesday.
The Space Force is the newest military branch, established in 2019. The song was written and composed by two former service members, James Teachenor, a former member of the U.S. Air Force band at the Air Force Academy, and Sean Nelson, a U.S. Coast Guard Band trombonist and staff arranger, according to a news release from the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs office
"The song was a long work in progress because I wanted it to encompass all the capabilities that the Space Force offers and its vision," Teachenor said in the release.
After coming up with the lyrics and melody of the song, Teachenor's project was sent to "various military bands," the release said. Teachenor then collaborated with Nelson to complete the song.
"I became familiar with the other branches' songs, but I wanted this one to have its own modern spin to reflect what the Space Force is — modern, new and very advanced," Nelson said.
The song is named after the U.S. Space Force motto, "Semper Supra," which is Latin for "Always Above," the release said.
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to establish a Space Force song that will be part of our culture and heritage for years to come," Raymond said in the release. "Our traditions are part of the fabric that weave us all together as we execute our missions side-by-side."
Each military branch has its own song. The songs of each military branch are "part of the services' foundation and represents its values, traditions and culture," the release said.
The U.S. Army's song is "The Army Goes Rolling Along," adopted in 1952. The U.S. Marines' song, "The Marines' Hymn," was first adopted in 1929 and updated in 1942.
The lyrics of the official U.S. Space Force song are:
We're the mighty watchful eye,
Guardians beyond the blue,
The invisible front line,
Warfighters brave and true.
Boldly reaching into space,
There's no limit to our sky.
Standing guard both night and day,
We're the Space Force from on high.
