Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-08-29
LESSON NO. 13
GROUPING MEN INTO TEAMS

states, Army. Some changes may be
made later.
preceding Lessons: l. Your Post
of Honor; 2. Making Good as a Sol
der; 3, Nine Soldierly Qualities; 4.
Getting Ready for Camp; 8. First
Days in Camp; 6. Cleanliness in Camp;
4, Your Health; 8. Marching and Care
OF Feet; ., Your Equipment and Arms !;
10, Recreation in Camp; IL, Playing
the Game; II. Team Work in the
Army.)
Army is the squad. A squad usually
consists Of eight men, one of whom is
the leader; he is called the corporal"
You will be assigned to a squad al
most at once on entering the Army.
At first, you may be shifted about
considerably from one squad to an
other but within a short time you
and seven other men will be brought
together as permanent team. This
means that you will work together.
drill together, and sleep IL the same
tent or in the same section of the
barracks. You will come to know the
other men in the squad through and
through and they will become equally
well acquainted with you. some of
them will probably grow to be your
close and lifelong friends. On the
other hand. there may be one or two
men whom you dislike or do not re-
spect.
The Squad Unit
In any case remember this: The
eight men in a squad form a team in
the same sense that n baseball nine
or a football eleven is a team. Your
squad is competing with all the other
squads in your company. Whenever
it shows itself especially we'll drilled.
quick to learn new duties or careful
in respect to cleanliness and general
bearing, you pile up a few points in
your favor. The umpires are the of
ficers of your company; and you may
be certain they are watching you
every minute of the day-not watch
ing for chances to criticize but
watching hopefully for signs of SOL
dierly spirit and intelligence.
1t is your first duty to help your
own squad make a good showing. Also
it is to your own interest to do So
There is no more pleasure or reward
for you in belonging to a poor squad
than there is for a ballplayer in be-
longing to a losing team. Take pride
in your squad and it's good work. If
you find you have one man among you
who is lazy or childish, try to get him
into a different attitude. Every squad
has at least one weak link. The best
way to handle him is to talk to him
Until you get him as much interested
as you in making your squad rank as
the best in the company.
incidentally, your captain is not
likely to overlook the best squad
when it comes to picking men for
promotion.
The Platoon and the Company
Two, three or four squads CASUALLY
three) may be Joined in the next
higher unit, which is called a "pla-
toon.' The platoon, however. is not
so permanent as a squad, but is
formed whenever there is need for it
in drilling or on the firing line.
Next comes the company, which is
made up at full strength of $50 men;
this is about eighteen squads or six
platoons. This number is war
strength" in our old tables of organ
ization; the first division now in
France has 200 men per company; it
is probable the strength may be $50
per infantry company. However, these
figures for the number of squads and
of platoons are never definitely fixed.
A company in the field is very seldom
at full strength, and it may be con-
venient at any time to change the
numbers of squads and platoons.
The company is a permanent team"
in the sense in which we have been
W
live together, eat together, drill to-
gether, and fight together. All tne
officers and soldiers in company
become well acquainted. Each mans
points of strength and of weakness
are known. Outside of your own
company you will probably know very
few men, only those with whom you
come into contact by accident or
while you are serving on some special
duty. This is something worth think
ing about. You are probably going to
live, eat, drill and fight with the other
men in your company so long as you
remain in the Army. The sensible
thing to do is to conduct yourself in
such a way as to command the liking
and respect of these men from the
very beginning.
Four companies are Joined in bat
TALON" The battalion is an import
ant unit in the Army organization.
but is not so clearly marked as either
the company or the regiment.
Regiments, Brlgndes and Divisions
The regiments consists of three bat
talions, making twelve companies. In
addition, there are three special
companies which do not belong to any
of the battalions. These are the head
quarters company. including the band
and the color guard; the machine gun
company, to be referred to later and
the supply company, responsible for
the regiments food, ammunition and
other supplies. Counting in everyone,
the regiment at full strength in our
old tables of organization totals 2,05S
officers and men. 1t will go more
than this with the increase in
strength of companies; 1881 is the
strength of infantry regiments in the
aNOaditiOnnrV division Tho rapi-
ment is. of course, very seldom at full
strength. but is never allowed to re-
main below a minimum strength of
about 1,400.
The regiment is the unit that espe-
cially arouses the soldiers pride and
loyalty. The most cherished tradi-
tiCns of the Army are made up of
the splendid deeds of famous regi-
ments. The soldier Identifies himself
throughout his life by Identifying his
regiment. His love for the Army CEN
ters in his regiment. His most sacred
memories cluster around the, regi-
mental battle flags.
Two regiments are Joined in a bri-
gade. Thus the brigade is built up
by assembling individual soldiers
into squads; squads into platoons; pla-
toons into companies; companies into
battalions battalions into regiments,
and regiments into brigades.
Brigades may in turn be Joined to
fern divisions, divisions may be Joined
to form corps. and corps to form field
armies All of the Army's divisions
and separate detachments and de-
partments taken together form the
big team"-that is to say, the United
States Army. The makeup of the big
team is treated in later lesson.