The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1917-11-09
CORPORAL IS VITAL COG
in ARMY'S VAST MACHINE

" LIZ SIZE VI the cake OF soap; Win
another the darn on the pair of socks
or the minute particle Of dirt that col
lects under the movable slide OF the
sight leaf OF the rifle.
: During the hours that are free from
drills and duties the corporal must
know where the men in his squad are.
lie Is supposed to see that they battle
ut least once a week and keep their
clothes and persons neat. The last
thlng at night, a. taps is blowing, he
reports his squad as present If each
one IS on his cot, or names such UNI
l%ortunafes as may have misjudged the
length of time required to return to
camp or the mount of liquor they
could consume safely.
Such are the routine matters the
corporal has in charge. The question
may arise as to how he e%nforces his
authority in these matters. The rules
are all so framed for Il soldiers bene-
lit that, however much he may have
been without standards of order and
heatncss before enlisting. a corporal
with force and tact can usually carry
the man along with the rest with little
necessity for discipline. The means
OF discipline are not lacking. however,
ana here the details above have Il real
value.
Disciplining His Men.
There are many of these pieces Of
work which do not call for Il complete
squad, and there are jobs done under
4 sergeant's oversight with Il mar from
each squad. The corporal can always
assign the man who was last out at
ul1ll call or whose rifle was denounced
as unclean ut inspection to these de
tails. as we'll as those OF cleaning up
the tent each morning.
Most men learn after they have
spent a few of their spare hours chop
ping wood or cleaning pans to obey
the orders Of the corporal. Some there
are, Of course, who have to be re-
ported to the first sergeant for con
finement to the company street, or
whose repeated offenses lead to the
Suardhouse. The corporal who proper
~ enforces his authority knows that
the whole iron system Of discipline of
the army is behind him.
In the more purely military matters
the corporal is equally important. We
hear much Of the recruit and the drill
sergeant. II a company has efficient
corporals, 1t is more often the latter
who introduce the recruits to right
dress and port arms and explain the
nice distinction between squads right
and right turn.
Many a period Of company drill be-
gins with the captains command
"Corporals, take your squads for fif-
teen minutes in the school Of the sol
der and school of the squad; and it
is there that individual attention can
be given. Close order drill is of course
in larger units, but even there the
proper execution of Il move
ment frequently depends on the cor
pOral, and woe be to the one who fails
to distinguish between ION right into
line" and fright front into line" for
he will find his squad moving at right
angles to the rest of the company.
In open or deployed order, such as
would always be used under battle
conditions. the squad becomes the
smallest fighting unit and the corporal
becomes the leader whom the squad
must obey. follow and stick to. Here
he is usually under the supervision of
squad looks for orders, and the order
which can properly be used only by a
corporal and which Is the simplest in
the Infantry Drill Regulations FOL
low me = Is the one which takes the
squad away from the column in which
1t has been marching, arranges it In
its proper position on the firing line,
advances 1t by rushes and finally leads
It to the bayOnet charge.
Guard Duty.
It Is the squad leader who Is given
| the target designation and range by
the platoon leader, and who Is re-
sponsible for the volume and accuracy
Of the fire. The "~Infnntry Drill Regu-
lations" say that Tin battle officers
and sergeants endeavor to preserve the
integrity Of squads; they designate
new leaders to replace those disabled,
organize new squads when necessary
and see that every man Is placed In a
squad. Men are taught the necessity
Of remaining with the squad to which
they belong, and in case 1t be broken
up or they become separated there
from to attach themselves to the near
est SOUND"
A distinct form Of the military duty
OF II corporal is the guard duty. This
may be In the nature Of police duty,
such as having charge Of the men
known as the military police. detailed
to preserve order In towns near a
camp. This work frequently requires
a high degree Of ability to size up a
situation and net promptly.
More familiar in time of peace rs
well ms time Of war Is what is known
as interior guard duty used "in camp
or garrison to preserve order, protect
property and to enforce order, reguln-
tions." To the duties Of the corporal
= 49, -~rU~A IN &hlsr ,.,n~lp AA~ saY-A.-A.-