Manual of Military Training: Second, Revised EditionMoss, James A. (James Alfred)
History
Manual of Military Training: Second, Revised Edition
Moss, James A. (James Alfred)
United States. Army -- Handbooks, manuals, etc.
The work of the fighting man makes harsh demands on his body. It must
be strong enough to undergo the strain of marching when every muscle
cries out for rest; strong enough to hold a rifle steady under fatigue
and excitement; strong enough to withstand all sorts of weather, and
the terrible nervous and physical strain of modern battle; and more,
it must be strong enough to resist those diseases of campaign which
kill more men than do the bullets of the enemy.
Hence the necessity of developing and strengthening every part and
muscle of the body.
=5. Facings and Marchings.= The object of the facings and marchings is
to give the soldier complete control of his body in drills, so that he
can get around with ease and promptness at every command.
The marchings,--the military walk and run,--also teach the soldier how
to get from one place to another in campaign with the least amount of
physical exertion.
Every man knows how to walk and run, but few of them how to do so
without making extra work of it. One of the first principles in
training the body of the soldier is to make each set of muscles do its
own work and save the strength of the other muscles for their work.
Thus the soldier marches in quick time,--walks,--with his legs,
keeping the rest of his body as free from motion as possible. He
marches in double time,--runs,--with an easy swinging stride which
requires no effort on the part of the muscles of the body.
The marchings also teach the soldier to walk and run at a steady gait.
For example, in marching in quick time, he takes 120 steps each
minute; in double time, he takes 180 per minute.
Furthermore, the marchings teach the soldier to walk and run with
others,--that is, in a body.
=6. Saluting.= The form of salutation and greeting for the civilian
consists in raising the hat.
The form of salutation and greeting for the military man consists in
rendering the military salute,--a form of salutation which marks you
as a member of the Fraternity of Men-at-arms, men banded together for
national defense, bound to each other by love of country and pledged
to the loyal support of its symbol, the Flag. For the full
significance of the military salute see paragraph 1534.
=7. Manual of Arms.= The rifle is the soldier's fighting weapon and he
must become so accustomed to the _feel_ of it that he handles it
without a thought,--just as he handles his arms or legs without a
thought,--and this is what the manual of arms accomplishes.
The different movements and positions of the rifle are the ones that
experience has taught are the best and the easiest to accomplish the
object in view.
=8. School of the Squad.= The object of squad drill is to teach the
soldier his first lesson in _team-work_,--and team-work is the thing
that wins battles.
In the squad the soldier is associated with seven other men with whom
he drills, eats, sleeps, marches, and fights.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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