Charlevoix county herald., 1916-12-01
FROM A REGULAR
TO A VOLUNTEER

n icttcI iOiu iSkuia III OhSS
Sans army to friend just enlisted in
the Militia, Co. a." 33rd Mich. Infan-
try, has been sent to the Torch for
publication, and will doubtless be Of
interest to our readers, as both parties
are well known boys from this section
of Antrim county.
Friend,
Through the folks at home I've heard
OF you as a soldier. Through news
paper clipping see you rated as good
one. 1t didn't mention you personally,
but said Company had clean camp
record and was one OF the few civilized
companies there. Not man reported
absent or disorderly during the payday
riot. That does me good, because be-
lieve they raise better men mentally,
morally and physically, around our neck
OF the woods than anywhere. So I'm
glad you helped to prove it, and keep it
up; you may have a chance to show
your superiority in many more ways
| later on.
Anyway, when went to school
that's long time ago. had teacher
named Martha Briggs. Among other
good things she taught me was quo
tation about as follows: whatever is
worth doing at all, is worth doing
WE'LL" Think it over and see what a
lot of good common sense advice it
contains. She was good teacher,
though she once gave me licking.
Pm a soldier by profession, while
you probably came in for better pur-
pose. But just the same, doesn't it
look like good policy, as long as you
are ''in," to do the very best you can?
Learn all you can, and as a piece of
advice let me tell you a general IRON
clad rule for all good soldiers. Obey
orders and ask no questions! That
means that an order is to be carried
out without any other reason than be-
cause il is an order. Don't doubt if it
is right or wrong or necessary. 1t is
the most important thing you have to
learn.
! Everyone makes mistakes some
times, no matter, if in or out of the
army. Your officers and non-coms
make them, but no matter; if you carry
out their orders, you have done that
much right. So obey orders.
Another thing Pm thinking of. Some
folks think a soldier is "hard nut" a
'tough guy" a swearing, fighting,
drinking trough neck" Not on your
life! They don't know soldier. We
have men like that in the army, but
they are not good soldiers. They are
poor imitation and hindrance. It's
the fellow that tends to business,
keeps cool at all times and level headed
that does the work and is the real u
S. soldier. You will find it out if you
have the chance. The fellow spelling
for Mexican to kill so he can show
how real "hard" he is; spelling for it
so much that doesn't want to stick
around and do his "cooks-police" and
fatigue and drill but just wants to 90
where he can grab gun and shoot, is
ignorant. If he was here now he would
growl because il is so hot and dry and
so much work and drill and so little
fighting. If he and you ever get after
any Mexicans the chances are he will
be surprised to find they shoot lead and
steel too, and he will wish he was back
in Camp Ferris, which probably would
be the most sensible thing he'd wished
in long while.
I've never been under an enemy fire,
though | expected to be at any time on
an occasion or two, but I've "ducked"
when heard our own crack or sing,
and it's nothing to banker after. And
I've heard men-veterans Of the Span
ish-American and PHILIPPINE Insurrec-
tion-say they don't care to campaign
unless it is necessary.
The fighting isn't the worst of the
war. II war is necessary it is all right
and then the better trained we are, the
better we are prepared. Then the
more head work we use and the hard
er we fight the easier we win. War is
an art. 1t is game at which skilled
player can beat novice any time he
isn't handicapped too much. He can
win against odds. Probably you have
not had target practice yet to show you
what can be done with a Springfield
Army Rifle at long ranges. But no
doubt you have seen the bayonet used
in bayonet exercise by men you would
not care to meet in battle for life with
that weapon. II shows that skill is the
winning factor, all else being equal. AS
this is with the individual, so it is with |
the Company, the Regiment, the Bril- |
gade, Division and Corps. Only the
larger the body, the more complicated
the problem and the greater skill is re-
CURED. For an efficient organization
we want one that can send one man out
alone on his own resources and win or
that can go out as whole and win by
its skill. II il wins merely by its nerve