A group of U.S. Army soldiers is catching viral attention for their rap video voiceover touting their Humvee ground tactical vehicle.
The video, posted to TikTok by a Staff Sgt. Tyler Butterworth, shows the soldiers flaunting their High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle (HMMVW) or “Humvee,” to the tune of “Ice Cream Paint Job” by Dorrough. The video has been viewed 2.5 million times, with more than 476,000 likes and 6,800 comments.
The Humvee has been a mainstay of U.S. military ground transportation since it entered service in the 1980s. Though the U.S. Army and U.S. Marine Corps have begun replace their Humvees with the Oshkosh Light Combat Tactical All-Terrain Vehicle (L-ATV), the Humvees are still used widely throughout the U.S. military.
As this video shows, some soldiers still have a special place in their hearts for the old classics. These soldiers can confirm this Humvee is “tuned up like a NASCAR pitstop,” is rocking a fresh paint job, a fresh interior, a wide trunk and big rims.
Viewers might have noticed one soldier in the video shaking his head when he was asked “do it ride good?” but the video at least made a compelling case for one TikToker who commented “That’s it…. I’m joining the military.”
Jon Simkins, a Military Times editor, also saw this videos’ potential as a recruiting ad.
“Politicians can talk about the tone of recruiting ads all they want,” Simkins tweeted. “This right here is a reminder that we’re in great hands.”
It remains to be seen if this TikTok video can turn the odds back in the Army’s favor after struggling with recruiting throughout 2022.
Using TikTok as a recruiting tool would not be unprecedented. Though the Army banned official use for the popular Chinese video-sharing app in 2019, some Army recruiters are still using the app to connect with a younger Generation Z audience.
