Trench and camp. [volume] (Augusta, Ga.) 1917-1919, 1917-10-24
REPRESENTATIONS NOW COMP ETED
WHEAT WORK OF A DIVISION MEANS

4
tarys service salute one another, but for
! uniformitys sake, the Junior, whether an
officer, or an enlisted man, salutes first
It is the honorable recognition by one
soldier Of another soldiers right 20 be
considered member of the All-Anerican
team and to be spoken to as brother
in arms. The wearing of the uniform
| is an introduction, in itself. to all other
| men who wear the uniform, and being IN
troduced thus, and being members OF the
| same team it is only proper that those
members should speak on passing or
meeting one another.
| In civil life if one meets another whom
| he knows and one speaks very cordial
| ly, and in return, receives a cold indif-
ferent bow one naturally feels that when
next they meet the acquaintance viii re-
ceive Just the sort of salutation he gave
on this occasion. While that can read
| lily happen n civil life it should never
happen in military life, for the method OF
speaking (saluting) is prescribed, the
| time when the salute is to be rendered is
prescribed, the method of its rendition
| s prescribed and the only limitation is
| that it is to be rendered between sol
diers in good standiHg--that is, prls-
oner or man under arrest cannot salute
the members of the team, for ne has dis
:
tary offense-anG when two men in uni
form pass without saluting it is because
one or both is not soldier certainly not
a good soldief-a good soldier marches
with head erect; he is alert, trying TO
sse what is going on, not to keep from
seeing.
TO say you don't see an officer, as a
reason for not saluting him. is to admit
that you are not conducting yourself as
a soldier should, or that you are slouch-
ing. / believe the average officer wants
belong to the same honorable profession
and are enlisted for the same great adj
venture, but he cannot salute first,
as the enlisted man is his junior. On
many occasions the officer does not know
he is being saluted for, while the enlist
ed man salutes he does not assume the
position in time, or else ne doesn't look
toward the person Saluted.
/ venture to say that if every soldier
in this camp will read carefully the
paragraphs on saluting and win conform
cheerfully and properly returned 1t is
sometimes difficult to tell an officer when
the coat is not worn, and it is very
difficult for officers at time to tell which
take a chance" the salute can be so
nearly simultaneous as to satisfy the most
punctiliouS senior.
All these are little things but of such is
discipline and training. Saiuting helps
team work, engendefs an esprit de corps.
and makes easy the transaction OF fou-
indication of the efficiency of command
because it's a true key to the attitude of
mind of that command toward discipline
and team work
For the people back home it might be
said that the time of the members of this
camp is not taken up exclusively in Sa-
Iuting one another, but that eight hours
daily are put in at drill and other exer-
cises calculated to develop the minds and
bodies of their sons and brothers. who
are, in addition, their soldiers. Your boys
may not yet be interested in their daily
work, for they may feel that they are de-
ing over again the same things they have
been doing for years, but in a few weeks
they will be writing home of new things,
or new thoughts, and then you win see
that the War College has prepared a
special progressive, practical, course of
training calculated to fit the men in this
division to know how. and to be able to
stand all of the hardships and the expert
ences which lie ahead of him.
The people at home have their part
70 play in actually assisting the training
here. II they win remember that a blue,
ldiscouraglng letter may spoil whole
days work for a large number of the SOL
dlers OF their army; if they will realize
that the Tag of our country has taken on
new meaning for their sons and broth
ers and friends, and that the discipline
and training they are getting here is in
order that the flag their flag NAV no
properly and honorably carried wher9 the
nations OF the world are fighting for the
honor OF the world then | predict that
the discipline and training in this camp
will have it's reflex action back home.
and the temptation to write blue and dis
couraging letters for instance will be
completely routed by and lost in the new
ideas Of discipline. To help make your
boy happy and satisfied in his new COM
pany, is true patriotism; to make him
unhappy and dissatisfied contributes to
ms lnefflclency. and helps our enemies
j nthe end. It's a little thing what you
write to your boy privately! Yes but it's
big thing what the fathers and moth
ers Of the nation are collectively writing
to all of their boys-and to win this war
the entire nation must be organized and
In conclusion, let me sum up, the di-
vision is completely, organized; the nee
essary divisional schools are thoroughly
organized, and are functioning properly,
the comfortable quartering, and the
proper. clothing of the men is well ad-
yaneed; facilities are at hand for the
prosecution of the study of the latest
forms of trench warfare; the health of
the, division is excellent: and the morale
high
The future holds promise of much in
teresting work for officers and men alike
and If the favorable weather conditions
continue to prevail, this division should