East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1917-08-29

FIGHTING ARMS OF TIE SERVICE
Preceding lessons !. Your Post Of
Honor. 2 Making Good as a Soldier.
3. n ne Soldierly qua tiles. 4. Getting
Ready for Camp. s. First Days in
Camp. 5. Cleanliness in Camp 7.
Your Health. g. Marching and Care of
the Feet. O. Equipment and Arms. / O.
Recreation in Camp II. Playing the
Game. IL. Teamwork Of the Army.
l3. Grouping Men into Teams Is The
Team Leaders
We have spoken so far as If all SOL
diers were infantrymen, that is, as
If all fought on foot armed with rifle
and bayonet As we all know an army
is much more complex There are
two other fighting arms" of the ser
vice, the Cavalry and the Arti Iery.
These three branches of the Army
are sometimes called the "line''-sl
term which comes down to Us from
| the day when sod ers in the BATH
were always drawn up in line The
other branches to be described later
are included under the general term
staff" However the Engineer
Corps and the Signal Corps are in
Part troops Of the line. though they
are herein described for convenience
/ under the heading of staff branches
of the service"
The Infantry is the backb bone of the
Army. ut is the Infantry soldiers
who must bear the greatest stress OE
battle, and war Is more dependent
for success upon his individual &C
ton than upon any other factor" By
far the argest number of men in ths.
National Army will go into the Infan
try branch of the service In the pres !
ent war the importance of Infantry
Is even greater than in previous wars.
The Value OF Infantry.
1t is not enough for Infantry to
know how to defend itself 1t must
know also how to attack 1t is not
enough that 1t should be able to
move forward in masses. The Infan-
try soldier must also have the intelIi-
gent self reliance that will enable him
to act as an individual; always. of
course within the limits of military b
discipline II
The chances for initiative in pre-
sent day warfare can best be illustrat-
ed by recounting the story of Michael
= pLeary. lance corporal of the Irish
Guards in the British Army. On Feb
ruary /. 1915. the Guards were or
jered to rctake a trench which hal {
been temporarily lost to the Germans I
JIear% was off duty and need not
have joined in the attack at al But 5
hat did not stop him for a moment {
rom using his courage and his brain
% help his regiment win. /
Jumping out Of the trench he ran i
It fun speed to railroad cut on the d
light Of the first German line which I
vas party under cover from the t
ncmy's FIRE with five shots in sue il
esS!on ne killed or disa bled five men =
'cfore his comrades reached the f
rench. Not satisfied with this f
chi"vement he ran ahead until he a
anne up from the railroad cut beside n
he second German line. Here was a a
mach ne gun. Tha officer in com n
land had just pointed the gun AT the ii
rish Guard in the first trench and p
ad his finger on the firing button
hen he was dropped by a wen-aim il
d bulet from OLearys rifle He te
hot two other Germans who were at et
amptinS to fire the machine gun II
hereupon the remainder of the squad rt
1rew up their hands and surrender St
Thus it happened that when his p
ompany of the Irish Guards reached vi
le second line without the loss of
nCle man they were amazed to find
'Leary ahead of them in complete
ossession. He was made sergeant <,
f the field, and later given a Vic
ria cross After other exhibitions OF
ravery and initiative, the 25-year old
'lder became Lieut. O'LearN ne
There is always an element Of luck 1'