The Winslow mail., 1898-10-01
BACKBONE OF ARMY.
Nolcommissioned Officers the Ua-
glor.fei Sinews Of War.
with Unlimited Ability to WORK,
They Bear tiIe BxCnt Of Battle
and shoot Their Way into
the Corridors of Oblivion.


the Corridors of Oblivion.
The recruit Of the army no sooner
svvears that he ''wiil obey the com
mands of ali officers placed above him.
than he falls into the hands Of ccr-
rorSl. This soldier, with the two clean
white chevrons on his sleeves, looks
lin over, guides him to a bathing
PLACE ard begins 20 lick him into shape.
lie begins by teaching him how to
stand, how to turn around, where 10
keep his eyes and all the small details
of the soldier business. lie impressCs
cn him the necessity of quick doing,
and cautions that the officers are there
20 think. Then the recruit is shuffed
on to sergeant, who places him in a
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 shuff1ing steps and
make a sturdy soldier of the raw re-
cruit. He works always and forever,
and executes the orders of his supe-
iors quickly and accurately. He
serves as model to be copied after by
he private-he is the backbone of the
army.
Glory seldom comes to the ''non-
aom." A long time ago certain Sergt.
asper won permanent place in his
y. and more recently Sergt. Ham
N Fish died bravely at the front.
''noncom.' works unnoticed, like
ae line player in the football team,
ecause he doesn't run with the ball,
lat he is the backbone that holds the
ribs together. When the battle is hot
nd sweat mingles with blood on the
0dden field, when bullets wnizz and
ellis scream. when comrades sink to
the ground and turn on their faces, the
officer lifts his sword on high ard steps
forward into glory. The "norcCn." D"
speaks the quiet STEADY. boys." ard
walks into the jaws of death, shooting
his way into the corridors CT oblivion.
The captain knows he will be famous if
Re survives-famous if he dies. The
sergeant or the corporal knows his
wife and children viii weep ever their
loss. his comrades that survive him viii
bury him in 4 soldiers grave wrapped
IL his blanket. lie is too numerous
for the historian TO mention; he was
simply doing his duty. Yet il the vic
tory is won it is because he is in his
Place and deing this same duty.
Under the new tactics in use by the
nited States army companies no
5lger fight with men shoulder TO
shoulder under the direct command
Of the captain. Much stress is laid on
the skirmish driIl, in which sets OF
fours under corporals and squads IN
Ger sergeants fight in open order,
firing at will after the aptain 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 manner re-
ronsi6le for the entire company and
ready to assume command when his
Ulcers are shot down The new ar
rangemeEt gives opportunity 10 the
-nOncoIc." to show himself 1t remains
. Ee seer whether or not he win break
into fame.
It is not in battle. however, that the
ncncommissioned officer earns the
lie of backbone" for in the fight the
veating private is 4 necessary Per
son. In the camp the vhite-chevroneG.
soldier makes his presence known and
ielt The first sergeant, gruff, stern,
severe, kind, man Of all work and ali
Intelligence, father of his company
and mother, too, in camp. is in charge
e his men. He looks after the com
pa0y quarters, tents, bedding, cloth
ing. knows all about the kitchen and
-eos 70 the equipments. He calls the
II, details the guard, knows the abil-
) and willingness of every soldier of
command and is the disciplinarIan
mouthpiece of his company. He
The go-between for privatcs and OIL
RS. adjusts quarrels and disseminates
advice. The company books. though
aot intricate, are tedious, and are kept
" 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
kave been won and admirals and gen
erals have been launched into ever
LISTING fame. It 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 ''noneomm;ssioned man." There
IS room in history for the backbone
of the army, kansas City Star.
Jubilee of Austria's Emperor.
On December . next the Austrian
will l,ovo al