Smyrna times., 1940-04-18
SOLDIER LEARN
JOB IN NO TIME
New Army Drill Regulations
Found Efficient By
Officers
SAVE TIME AND ENERGY

FORT HAYES, COLUMBUS.
OHIO.-Regular army drill SER
geants may claim that recruits still
have two left feet but adoption Of
the new infantry drill regulations
has eliminated much of the pain"
Of learning to be soldier and re-
duced the time required by from 80
to so per cent, according to reports
just made to Maj. Gen. Daniel Van
Voorhis, commanding general Fifth
corps area, by Col. L. A. Kunzig,
Eleventh Infantry. Fort Benjamin
Harrison. Indiana. and Col. Arthur
R. Underwood. commanding the
Tenth Infantry at Fort Thomas,
Kentucky. Easy naturalness and
logical sequence Of movement have
resulted in definite saving of time
and energy in close order drill, the
veteran regular army colonels re-
ported.
Under the new drill regulations,
intricate movements, such as
squads right" and squads right
about" have been eliminated. Those
movements will be remembered by
World war veterans as "bugaboos"
of army training and almost impos-
siDle to execute correctly. Port"
and fright shoulder arms" are two
other unnatural movements which
are changed in the new doughboy
bible"
Called Forward Step.
General Van Voorhis said, "adop-
ton Of these regulations is definite
step forward in national defense,
because Of the great saving in time
which has ever been vital training
factor. Under the old regulations
in reviews and parades, emphasis
was placed on massed formations
with the result that the soldiers in
was lost. Now, in cere-
monies and parades, the soldier can
see and be seen. This will enhance
Early completion Of basic
drill permits starting training in
technical and tactical subjects much
sooner. Such training is the es-
sence Of Transforming civilian into
a soldier and for both officers and
enlisted men is never completed"
Based on observations of some 500
recruits at Fort Benjamin Harrison,
Colonel Kunzig stated. II believe
men who have completed one weeks
training under the new training
are as proficient as men
with two weeks training under the
old regulations. 1t is estimated that
in teaching drill movements and the
basic training school of the soldier.
the time element is reduced so per
cent"
Learn III Two Weeks.
Observations at Fort Thomas,
where another large group of re-
cruits were trained, caused Colonel
to report. that with an
average of 212 hours daily drill un-
der the new regulations, the recruit
can be taught the drill Of soldier
squad, platoon and arms in about
two weeks. Teaching movements in
the old regulations necessitated
four to FIVE weeks training for the
average recruit to master and re
member the complicated squad
and detailed counts.
The new foot movements come nat
ural because he has already learned
his facing and natural column move
ments as a child in grade school.
Even the manual Of arms is now
more natural movement"
All the recruits of the Tenth In
fantry were so well grounded in
basic military subjects that they
we're qualified to accompany the
regiment south to Fort Mcclellan,
where they will partici-
pate in the interesting tactical
maneuvers scheduled for this win
ter. Recruits Of the Eleventh In
fantry at Fort Benjamin Harrison
are similarly qualified and will ac-
company their regiment which is