Evening journal., 1917-08-28
LESSON NO. u.
TEAMWORK IN THE ARMY.

TEAMWORK IN THE ARMY.
preceding Lessons: /. Your Post
Of Honor. 2. Making Good as A Sol
der. 3. Nine Qualities Of A Soldier.
4. Getting Ready for Camp b. First
Days In Camp. 6. Cleanliness IN
Camp. z. Your Health. s. Marching
and Care of Feet 3. Your Equipment
and Arms. 10. Recreation IN Camp.
II. Playing the Camel.
So far in this course we have been
taking up some of the problems
which each soldier has to face and
solve for himself; hoy TO adjust him.
self as quickly as possible to the
routine of camp life; how to keep
himself and all his belongings clean
In spite of the difficulties in the way;
how TO look after his own health and
comfort; how to take care Of arms
and equipment; and how to gut real
enjoyment, as well as benefit, out Of
Army life.
II the course we're to stop Just at
this point, it might leave IN your
mind a false impression. For after
all, the soldier is not an individual
player in the great game OF war; he
Is valuable chiefly as a member of a
team. It Is a team Of enormous size.
Il Is organized in rather a compli
Gated way. This team we call the
Army.
Your Army life will be more inter
esting II you know IN a general way
how the team Is organized. This Will
enable you to see more clearly where
you At in and what is expected of
you.
II you have been working for a
business concern, you are already
familiar with many Of the elements
OF Army organization. You have been
IN touch with the same things under
different names.
Need for Teamwork.
In a factory or store or Office
wherever large numbers of people
are working together-there IS al
most always some one In direc
charge of each group of workers
This person may be called a foreman
In the shop, a chief clerk in an Office
q floor walker in a department store
or by any one Of number of othe
titles; IN the Army we call him 4
corporal or a sergeant. Going up {
step. you know that IN every larg'
concern there are numerous officer
who take charge Of various depart
ments OF the business such as thl
superintendent, the traffic manager
the advertising manager. the sale
manager, the secretary, the vic
president, and so on; in the Army W
call the men in corresponding posi-
tlons captains. majors, cOlonels an
generals. Finally, you have at the tD
Of the business concern a presidcu
or general manager who direct
everything; in the Army he is
commanding general.
This general likeness between bus
ness organization and Army organ
zAtion Is helpful. but must not he ca
ried too far. There is one vital di
ference; The average business col
earn is somewhat easy going; IN
responsibility for each piece {
work Is not always definitely fixed
In the Army everybody, on the Othe
hand, Is held to the strictest n
count. There IS very seldom an
doubt as to the man TO be held r.
sponsible for each task.
Responsibility Always Fixed.
Within each rank, from major gel
eral 10 private, every man has his Il
lividual ranking, depending upon h
length OF service in the office whiC
he holds. This ranking insures thu
In every situation somebody alway
has authority and is responsible Il
whatever Is done. Even If two privai
soldiers are working together wit
out'superyision, the one who has bee
longer in the service takes chars
and the other must obey his order
This rule applies everywhere
IN civilian life there Is time f
argument. You may have better idei
than your boss about how a certa
thing should be done and possib
may convince him and get his ori
inal orders changed. In Army II
nothing Of this kind can be perm
ted. The officer in charge always HI
the full responsibility. Whatever {
ders he gives must be instant
Obeyed. It IS far better TO take a