Detroit evening times., 1943-09-01

they were the sergeants and corporals who
led their squads. when cut off from direct
communication with their superior officers,
and who moved on to outfank and destroy
an enemy machine gun position, or to seize
a rocky hlock that dominated the combat.
They are the points Of advance guards,
that cautiously pushed into flaming, murky
towns where the rifles were still flashing and
machine guns chattering. and opened the
way for the platoon, the company and the
battalion. The recital Of their experiences
best educates us AS 10 the realities OF warfare.
They are the men who fell from utter
exhaustion, yet had the will 10 rise and still
go forward. They are the men who suffered
initial tremor and fear, but kept on TO lose
these weaknesses in the grim rapture OF the
fight.
v1TTTH all the modern triumphs Of mecha-
w nzed weapons. Of motorized transport,
Of dauntless air combat of heroic naval action,
where the whole strength Of the ship
admiral captains and seamen survive or
perish together in a few minutes or an hour
the nfantryman still bears the brunt Of
battle. He cannot escape its hardships, its
thlrsts, It's hunger, its wounds. To win, he
must always go forward.
No branch Of any service has finer
motto, nor one whose inspiration may be
taken by every one of us in every walk Of
life The infantry is never exhausted II can
always take another step and fire another
shot"
Training soldiers for battle has become
hlghy technical, prolonged and arduous edu-
cation. Training regulations and manuals
comprise thousands Of printed pages But il
occurs 10 me that this long and laborious
Iptn pf D1J
about three objectves. The recruit must be
indoctrinated IN three fundamental things
THE first is personal and relates to himself
i alone. II is 1.-The school Of the soldier"
He learns 10 feel that he is soldier has the
physical appearance OF one is whole hard
and clean OF body. He becomes imbued with
a certain decorum- formal manners appro-
pirate and essential which is not merely
respect tor his officers, but respect for him-
self and for MS appearance and behavior.
This must sink into him, until he knows
that ne IS good soldier and would not be
mistaken for anything else This training is
partly physical hut 10 a largo degree. il is
moral education.
In the second place. the soldier learns 70
know, not his weapon any longer but ms
weapons, for he Infantryman today has manv
he must learn every part Of them to care
TOR them, prize them, sleep with them trust
them rhe more expert he becomes IN their
use the greater VIII be his efficiency and the
higher his confidence
Finally, he must learn team play" learn
10 follow hls leader and lead himself. when
necessity or the losses Of battle place that
responsibility upon him. This is organization.
movement and obedience that become habitusl
and that grow easier 10 follow than 10 dis
regard
When man mas gotten All Of TINS into mi,
system feels 1t and believes II then he is
q soldier
More than eight million young American
men are learning all this today. NY conf.
dence Is that it will make them better men
and the unexpected thing may be- that when
the passions Of battle are over they NAV b.
eentler men than they have ever been before.
tTo Re Continued)