Macon beacon., 1917-09-28
HOME READING COURSE
for CITIZEN SOLDIERS
Issued BY the War Department and All
Rights to Reprint Reserved
MARCHING AND CARE OF FEET.

how important II is for him to learn to
march and develop his muscles so that
he can easily carry his arms and equip
ment. Marching constitutes the prin-
cipal occupation Of troops In cam
paign." Qnfantry Drill Regulations,
paragraph 623.) Modern trench war
fare in Europe has for the time being
reduced the amount of marching re-
Quired In campaign: yet 1t remains
just as important an element In the
soldiers training as 1t ever was.
In order to march for long distances
the soldiers feet must be in good con-
dition. As has been aptly remarked.
''the infantryman's 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 pracd.
cable the shoes, should be changed"
Onfantry Drill Regulations, para
graph 627)
You will learn in time the practical
rules for taking care of your feet that
are followed by experienced soldiers.
You will avoid considerable discom-
fort. however, II you learn some OF
these rules now and 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
ed because 1t has been found that feet
swell and lengthen on marches, espe-
cially 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.
g. Take pains to keep your shoes in
good condition. 1t Is good idea to
apply a light coat Of neat's-foot Oil,
which will both soften the leather and
ttLu W Luuhc lAClu "ulCl PiooAs Avn
neglect to smooth out wrinkles in the
lining Of the shoe.
3. Wear light woolen socks, such as
will be issued to you. See that you
have no holes or wrinkles in them. If
a 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 nec-
essary.
A. Keep your feet, socks and shoes
clean. When on the ! larch try to wash
your socks at night and put on clean
pair every morning. Battle the feet
every evening, or at least wipe them
off with wet towel.
5. Keep your feet scrupulously clean.
A foot bath can be taken, when other
facilities are not at hand, by scraping
q small depression in the ground,
throwing n poncho over 1t and pouring
water into this from your canteen.
Even pint Of water will do for
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 point in
the center.
7. In case blister Is formed while
on the march, open the edge of the
blister with the point Of knife or n
needle that has been heated in match
flame. Be sure to squeeze all the fluid
out of the blister. To leave any in 1t
may make 1t worse. Do not pull off
the loose skin, but press 1t back. Then
put on an adhesive plaster, covering
the skin well beyond the edges of the
blister, putting 1t on as tightly as pos
sible without wrinkles. In the same
way put an adhesive plaster over any
red or tender spots.
8. 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 1t as
much as possible by strips Of adhesive
plaster. You should report to q 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 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 a
carelessly 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 |
that 1t need not interfere with the free
movement Of your arms and legs. Your
pack should be strapped to your back |
In such way that you can stand erect
and breathe freely. There should be |
no pressure on any of the soft parts
Of the body.
When the command Is given to halt |
and fall out for O few minutes loosen
your pack and rest hack on II in n cir