The Birmingham age-herald., 1913-07-06
THE UNITED SEgfS
ARMY BEST IEaORLD
DECLARES GENERAL
Parker Bshusiastic in His
Prai2 Of Uncle Sans
ighting Men
5REAr PROGRESS HAS
BEEN MADE OF LATE
sRsh Physical Standard Demanded
: Sien Are Best Paid, Best Lodged
and Best Fed of Any Army.
Improve Themselves

New York, July 5.-(Special) BRIG
Gen. James Parker who "got his step
from President Taft, after having been
colonel of the Eleventh United States
cavalry, is the author of an article ex
planning why. in his opinion, the United
States soldier is the best soldier in the
world and the United States, potentially,
the greatest military nation EARTH
"Our army today" says General Parker,
"is composed almost entirely of Ameri-
can born citizens. It's enlisted men are
often graduates of high schools, some-
times of colleges. They enlist, many of
them. because they have the military in
stinct. the instinct which fills our armies
in time of war with volunteers. Some
enlist through a spirit of adventure, some
to get away from the isolation of the
farm or the monotonous toll of the shop
some enlist for commissions.
Few join the army because they are
forced to 1t through poverty. The re-
cruiting officers accept only a small per-
eentage of those who present themselves,
and rigidly exclude the tramp, the drunk
ard and the convict. The standard of
physique demanded is of the very high
est.
THE soldiers of the army of the United
States are unquestionably the best lodged,
the best fed and the best paid soldiers
in the world. 1t is true. the pay looks
small, but in fact, whether the soldier
as a. private receives $15 per month, or
as a sergeant, $50 per month, this pay
is pocket money, which he can spend for
candy and cake. II the soldier wants to
save this money ne can.
Has Chance to Learn
'If he wants to improve himself he
can Join the garrison school and study
common or high school course. In the
cavalry he can. if he likes, learn the
trade of clerk, typewriter. veterinarian.
horseshoer WAGNER. groom saddler, ms-
sician or barber. All these trades, as
well as many others, are piled by SOL
diers in post Let us see how the SOL
dier of Troop G. Eleventh United States
cavalry spends his time.
HE is stationed at the beautiful post
of Fort Oglethorpe. Georgia, a post that
is situated on the battlefield of Chicka-
mauga. the scene of one of the bloodiest
battles of modern times, and one to gain
inspiration from.
.'At 6 O'Clock reveille sounds and Jump
ing from his comfortable bed and throw
ing on his uniform, he runs downstairs
answers his name, and then. like an ath-
lete spends ten minutes in calisthenic
exercises and a half mile run. This DONE
he goes to the barrack bathrooms, where
he takes a cold dip and a rundown when
he is ready for his breakfast of cereal.
meat. bread and coffee.
Half an hour after breakfast he turns
out for two hours mounted drill. This
drill is sometimes by troop, at other times
by regiment when the u troops, with
hni of tft,aac ad af ,asg
deployed, sometimes mounted, using the
saber and pistol, sometimes dismounted,
armed with rifle. often i'm mimic combat,
present magnificent and stirring sight
Cavalry Training
Our cavalry are trained to fight as
cavalry counted. and to fight as in
fantry dismounted. To the latter role we
Z attach great Importance. Hence our cav
airy regiments, with a view to putting a
sufficiently formidable force on the firing
lire. are organized like the infantry in
three battalions.
rons, are nearly as large and as efficiens
for mounted fighting the European
cavalry regiment. While our cavalry
regiments cost but one-third more tnen
our infantry regiments their superior
mobility and marching power render then,
for certain purposes more efficient.
THE conditions on our northern and
southern frontiers, as well as the fact
that horses are numerous and cheap in
this country render it desirable that the
United States should maintain a large
proportion ,f cavalry. Since our cavalry
as was shown at Santiago can always be
used as nflntry, leaving their horses be-
hind our policy of maintaining a large
force of cavalry is in every way a wise
one.
Then our cavalry soldier must be an
infantryman as well as horseman On
ha n riff md 1aa,. . !,
duties of the infantryman. Mounted he
must be skillful rider. and learn the
use of the saber and pistol. He must he
able to maneuver sud fight both mounted
and dismouated. Refore he is fit to join
his troop the recruit must ride in all 40
hours After he joins his training is
not much relaxed, but goes on steadily
throughout his en- stment
Field Maneuvers
But all this affords variety and in
terest Marching to an infantryman is
hard work, but in the cavalry it is the
horse which carries the burden. There
is no more charming way to see a coan-
try than from the back of a horse An
automobile or even a carriage carries
one through the country so quickly that
one has but Look and the enhancing
landscape has passed on horseback
rate of a marching column, one reads
the book Of nature slowly and learns it
by heart.
with pack mules cavalry can march
where wagons cannot go, and explore the
recesses of the mountains and woods
Every second year one month OF The
summer is spent at the combined field
maneuvers, in camps of regulars and
militia, for the expenses of which Con-
gress votes $l,00O,CJO biepially. At these
maneuvers the soldier takes part IN the
movements of .argc bodies of troops, and
in mock combats, which in some in
stances are so realistic that they assume
In memory the place of real battles.
I'm order to secure from these maneu-
Ners the greatest value, attempts are Le-
ing made to publish to all who take part
in these problems of war the conditions
and the solution, in order that to every
soldier 1t may be valuable lesson and
experience.
Better Army
And SO the life in regiment is not all
dull routine. We do not always stay In
garrison.
"The army is not what it used to be-