Evening Republican, Volume 21, Number 196, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 4 September 1917 — HOME READING COURSE FOR CITIZEN-SOLDIERS. [ARTICLE]

HOME READING COURSE FOR CITIZEN-SOLDIERS.

CLOSE-ORDER DRILL. Close-order formations are seldom used in actual fighting; nevertheless, they should be thoroughly mastered. They have been worked out during centuries of experience as the best means of training men in soldierly habits of thought and action. They teach precision, "teamwork, and that prompt and unhesitating obedience which is so necessary to military control. The fact that you and your comrades are thoroughly drilled will be your best protection in the hour of battle. It will give every man confidence in himself and in his comrades and will insure steadfastness in the face of the enemy. There are four sections or grades of close-order drill, which are called school of the soldier r school of the squad, school of the company, school of the battalion. The word school as here used means a fixed method df training. First of all, you will get the training included under the school of the soldier. This training is in turn divided into two parts: Instruction without arms and the Manual of Arms.

The very first thing you will learn is the position of the soldier, then you will be shown how to face to the right or left or about in a soldierly manner, how to salute properly and how to march. ' The Manual of Arms takes you a step further. It teaches you how to handle your rifle properly. It does not, however, include practice in firing or in bayonet combat. In the school of the squad you will execute all the movements learned in the school of the soldier; in addition you will learn to keep your correct place’in ranks, to stack and take arms, and to march as a squad. The school of the squad includes also some practice in extended order drill. The school of the company carries you still further in your training. You will be taught to march in line and in column and to execute a number of simple but very important movements. Most of these movements are by squads. The school of the battalion in turn applies on a somewhat larger scale the movements you have learned in the school of the company. The commands of the major will be repeated to you by your own captain, or through him by your platoon commander. The battalion is the largest unit in which an officer can make his commands heard and clearly understood by all the men; hence, it is the largest unit in which there is instruction in close order drill. Regiments, brigades, and larger units are controlled through orders given to commanding officers which they carry out by issying other commands or orders to the officers or men immediately under their control. It can not be too strongly impressed on you that the closest attention to your training during the first few days will make your whole period of service much easier and more satisfactory. Don’t lose your, grasp on this thought. It is of the first importance. Put it into practice and it will help you to get ahead.