The Washington herald., 1917-08-22
LESSON NO. 9.
YOUR EQUIPMENT AND ARMS.

CPreceding Lessons: l. Your Post Of Honor.
: Making Good as a Soldier. ). Nine Qualities
Of Soldier L Getting Ready for Camp. 5.
First Days in Camp. s. Cleanliness in Camp.
!. Your Health. & Marching and Care Of Fest.)
Each soldier in a modern army car
ries with him sufficient food, clothing,
shelter. fighting arms, and ammuni-
ton to take care of himself for a
short period in case he should be sep
Narated from his company. The total
weight OF his load, in addition to the
clothes he wears, is fifty to seventy
pounds. The number Of articles IL
surprisingly large. They are so de-
vised, however, that by ingenious
methods of packing and adjusting they
can all be carried with the least pos
sible effort.
You are personally responsible for
all the arms, clothing and supplies is
sued TO you. The trained soldier keeps
track of them. He knows immediate
ly at any time where every one of his
belongings is to be found. You are
required to keep them in good condl-
ton. In case you need other articles.
they may be issued to you; but their
value in that case will be deducted
from your next pay.
COthInE Kept Clean.
You will receive on enlistment an
ample supply OF clothing, including
not only your uniform, but extra
shoes. shirts, underclothes. and socks.
You may not be able always to keep
Iyour clothing spOtlessly clean. But
when 1t becomes dirty or spotted take
the first opportunity to clean 1t thor
oughly.
Your shoes must be cleaned and pol
tshed frequently. Wet shoes should
In general. see TO It that all your
be carefully dried.
clothing Is as neat and clean as pos
siole at all times. Mend rips and sew
on buttons without delay.
Wear your hat straight. Don't af-
tect the smart aleck'' style Of tilt
ing the hat. Keep all buttons fas-
tened. Have your trousers and leg
gings properly laced. Keep yourself
clean shaved Carry yourself like
soldier.
Besides his extra clothing a SOL
der carries a blanket, a rubber pom
cho. a canteen. a mess kit. including
meat can. knife. fork, and spoon, a
cup. toilet articles. a first aid pack
age, and some minor belongings.
Two Carry Tent.
One Of the most useful pieces is one
half of a shelter tent. with rope and
pins The shelter tent is said to be
French invention which was intro
duced into the American army during
the civil war. In the army il is often
called a dog tent" evidently because
Of its shape and small size. Two men
can combine their halves and set up
a shelter tent in a few minutes
Your chief fighting tools will be a
rife, a bayonet in a scabbard. a car
fridge belt. and an intrenching tool.
Other weapons or defenses needed in
modern trench warfare will be refer
red to later. Do not under any cir
Cumstances lose track OF these ar
rt.cles while on field duty. So long as
you possess them. you are an armed
soldier capable OF defending yourself
and Of performing effective service.
Without them you are for all practi-
cal purposes helpless.
Tie rifle is the soldiers closest
friend. His first thought should be
to guard it and care for it above all
his other possessions. He expects 1t
to take care of him in emergencies.
In ordinary times he must take care
Of it. In caring for a rife it is espe-
cially important to keep the bore
clean. In so doing be sure to avoid
.niUrinE the delicate ri1iug which
causes the bullet to spin as it is forced
put and thus greatly increases the ac-
curaCy of firing. Never put away a
rife that has been fred or exposed
10 bad weather without first cleaning
it. Never lay a rife fiat on the
Cround. Rest it securely against
something. In lowering the rife to the
ground. whether during drilling or at
any other time. see that it touches
he ground gently.
Being Good Shot.
. Anybody in normal physical condi-
ton can learn to be a good shot Two
of the most important points to re-
member are to take a deep breath
lust before completing your aim so
hat you may hold the rifle with per-
feet steadiness. and 10 squeeze the
.rigger so that the gun will not be
ierked from its aim at the moment
of firing. When you become an expert
! narksman you will have added i'm
7 mensely to your value as a citizen
soldier. The simple fact that you
Qualify as a marksman will give you
more self-cOnhdence and self-cOntrol.
The amount of ammunition which an
American infantryman carries into
9attle is usually 22O rounds. In an
advanced firing position. where it is
Iificult to bring up reserves Of am