Daily camera., 1898-09-07
BACKBONE OF ARMY
Noncommissioned Officers the Un-
Rlorified Sinews of War.
With Unlimited Ability u Work
Thsy Bear the BFunt of Battle
and shoot Their Way late
thsCorrid0rs Of Oblivion.

The recruit of the army no sooner
swears that he twill obey the com
mands of all officers placed above him"
than he falls into the hands OF cor
| poral. This soldier, with the two clean
| white chevrons on his sleeves, looks
him over, guides him to bathing
place and begins to lick him into shape.
He begins by teaching him how to
stand, how to turn around, where to
keep his eyes and all the small details
| of the soldier business. He impresses
on him the necessity of quick doing,
and cautions that the officers are there
TO think. Then the recruit is shutfied
on to sergeant, who places him in
| set of fours and teaches him how to
find his place and what to do when he
finds it. He finally falls into the hands
of the first sergeant in company drill.
He may get an occasional sight OF his
captain, but he learns to know and en-
ulate his sergeant.
The "noncom." is the teacher. His
unlimited ability to work and his un-
dying patience straighten up round
shoulders, liven up shutting steps and
make sturdy soldier of the raw re-
scruit. He works always and forever,
and executes the orders of his supe-
| riors quickly and accurately. He
serves as model to be copied after by
the private-he is the backbone of the
army.
Glory seldom comes to the mon
COM" A long time ago certain Sergt.
Jasper won permanent place in his
tory, and more recently Sergt. Ham
iiton Fish died bravely at the front.
The "noncom." works unnoticed, like
the line player in the football team,
because he doesn't run with the ball,
but he is the backbone that holds the
ribs together. When the battle is hot
and sweat mingles with blood on the
sodden field, when bullets whizz and
shells scream, when comrades sink to
the ground and turn on their faces, the
officer lifts his sword on high and steps
forward into glory. The "noncom."
speaks the quiet STEADY, boys!" and
walks into the jaws of death, shooting
his way into the corridors of oblivion.
The captain knows he will be, famous if
be survives-famous if he dies. The
sergeant or the corporal knows his
wife and children will weep over their
loss, his comrades that survive him will
bury him in soldiers grave wrapped
in his blanket He is too numerous
for the historian to mention; he was
simply doing his duty. Yet if the vic
tory is won it is because he is in his
place and doing this same duty.
Under the new tactics in use by the
United States army companies mo
longer fight with men shoulder to
shoulder under the direct command
Of the captain. Much stress is laid on
the skirmish drill, in which sets of
fours under corporals and squads un-
der sergeants fight in open order,
firing at will after the captain has or
dered Commence firing" The cor
poral is responsible for his set of
fours and the sergeant for his squad
The first sergeant is in a manner re-
sponsible for the entire company and
is ready to assume command when his
officers are shot down. The new ar
rangement gives opportunity to the
"noncom." to show himself. Itremains
to be seen whether or not he will break
into fame.
1t is not in battle, however, that the
noncommissioned officer earns the
title of backbone" for in the fight the
sweating private is a necessary per-
son. In the camp the white-chcvroned
soldier makes his presence known and
felt. The first sergeant, gruff, stern,
severe, kind, man of all work and all
intelligence, father Of his company
and mother, too, in camp, is in charge
of his men. He looks after the COM
pany quarters, tents, bedding, cloth
ing, knows all about the kitchen and
sees TO the equipments. He calls the
roll, details the guard, knows the abil-
ity and willingness of every soldier of
his command and is the disciplinarian
and mouthpiece of his company. He
is the go-between for privates and Off
GERS, adjusts quarrels and disseminates
advice. The company books. though
not intricate. are tedious, and are kept
by him, and he reports the dead to
his captain. He seems to be in every
place at the same time. He is the model
soldier
The literature of the present war
is yet unwritten. Glorious victories
have been won and admirals and gen.
erals have been launched into ever
LISTING fame. 1t is to be hoped, when
the war correspondents get back to
the quiet of their desks, they will not
have been blinded by the glare of up
lifted swords and glittering shoulder
straps to the bravery and courage Of
the "noncommissioned man." There
il room in history for the backbone
of the my."-Kansas City Star.