The St. Charles herald., 1917-10-20
HOME = READING COURSE
for CITIZEN SOLDIERS
Issued BY the Var Department and All
Rights TO Reprint ReserUed
MARCHING AND CARE OF FEET.

he can easily carry his arms and equip
/ ment. "Murching constitutes the prin-
cipal occupation Of troops III cam
paign." Qnfantry Drill Regulations,
I paragraph G23) Modern trench war
fare in Europe has for the time being
reduced the amount Of marching re
qurcd in campaign; vet it remains
I just as important an element in the
/ soldiers training as it ever was.
/ In order to march for long distances
the soldiers feet must be in good con
4, dition. As has been aptly remarked,
the infautrylnan' feet are his means
Of transportation" Special attention
should be paid to the fitting Of shoes
/ and the care Of the feet. Marching
! shoes should be quite little larger
! than shoes for ordinary wear. "Sores
and bliSterS on the feet should be
promptly dressed during haltS. At the
end Of the march feet should be bathed
and dressed; the socks. and if practi-
cable the shoes, should be changed
Unfantry Drill Regulations, para
graph 621)
You will learn in time the practical
rules for taking care Of your feet thar
are followed by experienced soldiers.
You will avoid considerable discom-
fort however, if you learn some of
these rules now ana put them into
practice from the very beginning:
/. See that your shoes are large
enough. They will at first look and
feel unnecessarily loose. This is need
eG because it has been found that feet
swell and lengthen on marches, espe-
ciaIly when carrying packs. But shoes
fitted this way will give You no CornS,
buniOnS, bliSterS or other foot ills. In
fact, they will cure any that you may
already have.
.. Take pains TO keep your shoes In
good condition. 1t is a good idea to
apply a light coat of ncat's-foot oil,
which will both soften the leather and
tend to make them waterproof. Don't
neglect to smooth out wrinkles in the
lining of the shoe.
g. Wear light woOlen socks. such as
Will be issued to you. See that you
have no holes or wrinkles in them. II
q hole has been worn and cannot be
mended at once, change the sock from
one foot to the other so that your foot
will not be irritated more than is nee
essary.
4. Keep your feet. socks and shoes
clean. When on the march try TO wash
your socks at night and put on clean
pair every morning. Bathe the feet
every evening, or at least wipe them
off with q wet towel.
5. Keep your feet scrupul0uSly clean.
A foot bath can be taken, when other
facilities are not at hand, by scrapfng
a small depression in the ground,
throwing a poncho over it and pouring
water into this from your canteen.
Even a pint of water will do for a
foot bath.
6. Keep your toe nails trimmed
closely and cut them square across the
ends. This will tend to prevent in
growing nails. BY all means avoid the
common error Of rounding the corners
of the nail and cutting it to a point in
the center.
7. In case a blister is formed while
on the march, open the edge of the
blister with the point of knife or q
needle that has been heated in a match
flame. Be sure to squeeze all the fluid
out of the blister. To leave any in 1t |
may make it worse. Do not pull off |
the loose skin, but press it back. Then |
put on an adhesive plaster, covering |
the skin well beyond the edges of the |
blister, putting it on IS tightly as pos |
sible without wrinkles. In the same |
way put an adhesive plaster over any |
red or tender spots.
s. In case any tendons become in
famed or swollen USUALLY due to la
cling the leggings or shoe too tightly |
or to some other unnecessary pres
sure), soak the foot in cold water, mas
sage the tendon, and protect it as
much as possible by strips of adhesive
plaster. You should report to medi-
cal officer at your first opportunity to
make sure that the trouble does not
grow worse.
One sign of q green soldier is his
tendency to drink too much water
while on a long march. The expert
enced man gargles his mouth and
throat once in q while, but drinks only
IN sips and does not overload his stom-
ach with either water or food.
Another sign of a green soldier is
,arelessly adjusted pack or any other
equipment not neatly and securely
fastened. Your comfort on the march
depends very largely on the care and
Judgment used in getting ready. All
your equipment has been SO designed
hat it need not interfere with the free
of your arms and legs. Your
)ack should be strapped to your back
n such a way that you can stand erect
md breathe freely. There should be
10 pressure on any Of the soft parts
# the body.
When the command is given to halt
md fall out for a few minutes loosen
-our pack and rest back on 1t in a sit
ing or lying position.
A cheerful attitude is one Of the best
lids to a soldier on q trying march.
Singing or whistling ON the march is
Usually not only allowed but encour-