The United States Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard had adopted official songs, and the Army was eager to find one of its own. They conducted a contest in 1948 to find an official song, but no entry received much popular support. In 1952, Secretary of the Army Frank Pace asked the music industry to submit songs and received more than 800 submissions. "The Army's Always There" by Sam Stept won, and an Army band performed it at President Dwight D. Eisenhower's inaugural parade on January 20, 1953.