Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry of the Army of the United States, 1917 To be used by Engineer companies (dismounted) and Coast Artillery — Reading Notes

CHAPTER I. MILITARY DISCIPLINE AND COURTESY Section 1. Oath of enlistment Section 2. Obedience Section 3. Loyalty Section 4. Discipline Section 5. Military courtesy Section 6. Saluting Section 7. Rules governing saluting Section 8. Courtesies in conversation CHAPTER II. ARMS, UNIFORMS, AND EQUIPMENT Section 1. The rifle Section 2. Care of the rifle Section 3. Cleaning the rifle Section 4. Uniforms Section 5. The service kit Section 6. The surplus kit Section 7. Assembling Infantry equipment CHAPTER III. RATIONS AND FORAGE Section 1. The ration Section 2. Individual cooking Section 3. The forage ration CHAPTER IV. PERSONAL HYGIENE AND CARE OF THE FEET CHAPTER V. EXTRACTS FROM INFANTRY DRILL REGULATIONS, 1911 Section l. Definitions Section 2. Introduction Section 3. Orders, commands, and signals Section 4. School of the soldier Section 5. School of the squad Section 6. School of the company Section 7. Company inspection Section 8. Manual of tent pitching Section 9. Manual of the bayonet CHAPTER VI. FIELD SERVICE Section 1. Principles of Infantry training Section 2. Combat Section 3. Patrolling Section 4. Advance guards Section 5. Rear guards Section 6. Flank guards Section 7. Outposts Section 8. Rifle trenches CHAPTER VII. MARCHING AND CAMPING Section 1. Breaking camp and preparation for a march Section 2. Marching Section 3. Making camp Section 4. Camp services and duties CHAPTER VIII. TARGET PRACTICE Section 1. Preliminary training in marksmanship Section 2. Sight adjustment Section 3. Table of sight corrections Section 4. Aiming Section 5. Battle sight Section 6. Trigger squeeze Section 7. Firing positions Section 8. Calling the shot Section 9. Coordination Section 10. Advice to riflemen Section 11. The course in small-arms firing Section 12. Targets Section 13. Pistol and revolver practice CHAPTER IX. EXTRACTS PROM MANUAL OF INTERIOR GUARD DUTY Section 1. Introduction Section 2. Classification of interior guilds Section 3. Details and rosters Section 4. Commander of the guard Section 5. Sergeant of the guard Section 6. Corporal of the guard Section 7. Musicians of the guard Section 8. Orderlies and color sentinels Section 9. Privates of the guard Section 10. Orders for sentinels Section 11. Countersigns and paroles Section 12. Guard patrols Section 13. Watchmen Section 14. Compliments from guards Section 15. Prisoners Section 16. Guarding prisoners Section 17. Flags Section 18. Reveille and retreat gun Section 19. Guard mounting Section 20. Formal guard mounting for Infantry Section 21. Informal guard mounting for Infantry Section 22. Relieving the old guard CHAPTER X. MAP READING AND SKETCHING Section 1. Military map reading Section 2. Sketching CHAPTER XI. MESSAGE BLANKS CHAPTER XII. SIGNALS AND CODES CHAPTER XIII. FIRST-AID RULES CHAPTER XIV. LAWS AND REGULATIONS Section 1. General provisions Section 2. The Army of the United States Section 3. Rank and precedence of officers and noncommissioned officers Section 4. Insignia of officers and noncommissioned officers Section 5. Extracts from the Articles of War CHAPTER XV. ENGLISH-FRENCH VOCABULARY APPENDIX. FORM FOR LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT

MILITARY DISCIPLINE AND COURTESY.

SECTION 1. OATH OF ENLISTMENT.

Every soldier on enlisting in the Army takes upon himself the following obligation:

"I,--------, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the United States of America; that I will serve them honestly and faithfully against all their enemies whomsoever; and that I will obey the orders of the President of the United States, and the orders of the officers appointed over me according to the Rules and Articles of War." (109th Article of War.)

SECTION 2. OBEDIENCE.

The very first paragraph in the Army Regulations reads:

"All persons in the military service are required to obey strictly and to EXECUTE PROMPTLY the lawful orders of their superiors."

Obedience is the first and last duty of a soldier. It is the foundation upon which all military efficiency is built. Without it an army becomes a mob, while with it a mob ceases to be a mob and becomes possessed of much of the power of an organized force. It is a quality that is demanded of every person in the Army, from the highest to the lowest. Each enlisted man binds himself, by his enlistment oath, to obedience. Each officer, in accepting his commission, must take upon himself the same solemn obligation.

Obey strictly and execute promptly the lawful orders of your superiors. It is enough to know that the person giving the order, whether he be an officer, a noncommissioned officer, or a private acting as such, is your lawful superior. You may not like him, you may not respect him, but you must respect his position and authority, and reflect honor and credit upon yourself and your profession by yielding to all superiors that complete and unhesitating obedience which is the pleasure as well as the duty of every true soldier.

Orders must be STRICTLY carried out. It is not sufficient to comply with only that part which suits you or which involves no work or danger or hardship. Nor is it proper or permissible, when you are ordered to do a thing in a certain way or to accomplish a work in a definitely prescribed manner, for you to obtain the same results by other methods.