PRACTICE MARCH OR "HIKE"
The manoeuver practice march will be the most instructive, the most
pleasant, and one of the hardest periods of your service. You will
return from it proud of the hardships you have undergone and capable of
speaking with authority on many practical matters pertaining to
soldiering. You will be able to amuse yourself and your friends with
reminiscences of the many incidents which you will never forget. It is
during the practice march that you will put into practical use the
tactical principles and battle formations of which, up to that time, you
will have heard at lectures, or which you will have executed in a
mechanical manner at drill. You will return from each march with a
knowledge of many practical points on camp sanitation, of the pleasures
and hardships incident to manoeuver warfare, and of the manner in which a
soldier adapts himself to changing conditions, all of which cannot be
learned from books or lectures.
The practice march demands a large expenditure of physical and mental
energy; however, the hardships are greatly exaggerated by the old
soldiers. To make up a set of equipment, to assist in cleaning up camp
and loading trucks, to march and fight for a distance of ten or twelve
miles while carrying a heavy pack on the back and a nine-pound gun on
the shoulder, and upon reaching camp to pitch your tent, make up your
bed, do some fatigue work, and probably some guard duty in addition, all
in one day, is a hard physical strain on the average man. By obeying
implicitly the advice of your company commander, you will greatly lessen
the hardships incident to a practice march, and by disobeying it you
may possibly undergo the mortification of having to drop out of ranks
and be jeered at by the passing column. The following suggestions, if
followed implicitly, will lessen the hardship of the "hike."
MARCHING RULES
1. Adjust your equipment, if necessary, at the first halt.
2. Do not leave the column without the express permission of your
company company commander.
3. Keep in your proper place in the column.
4. keep forty inches from the man in front of you.
HALTS
Halts are made for the purpose of resting. Take advantage of the
opportunity by sitting down at once along the side of the road near the
place where your squad will form when the march is resumed. Remain
seated until the command to fall in is given.
Sit down in such a way that you do not support the weight of the pack on
your shoulders while resting. Don't go wandering off into people's
yards or orchards. Relax as completely as possible. Get into place
immediately when the signal is given.
CAMPING
Two men tent together--the front rank man and his rear rank file. Alter
pitching your tent, get inside and level off the ground. Cut a drain
around the tent to carry the water off; this should be done even in
pleasant weather. In case you do not trench your tent and a sudden rain
comes, your blankets may get wet and you will probably lose some
much-needed rest and sleep. If the tent pins will not stay in the
ground, cut some small sticks to a length of about twelve inches and use
them as tent pins.
PREPARING YOUR BED
After you have pitched your tent, get some hay, grass, straw, or leaves
and cover the floor. Place one poncho on this, then one or two blankets
on top of the poncho to sleep on, and use the remaining blankets as
cover. Spread the other poncho over the tent. Many men are careless
about making a comfortable bed. You will be rewarded with large
dividends if you are zealous in making yourself comfortable. Arrange
your equipment at the rear just under the small triangle. Get your meat
can, knife, fork, spoon, and tin cup out where they will be handy.
MAKING UP YOUR PACK
Immediately after reveille, take down your tent and make up your pack.
Place your extra blankets on the pile with those of the other members of
your squad. Make up your surplus kit bundle and put it in the surplus
kit bag.
WATER
Fill your canteen each evening, as the water wagons sometimes do not
reach camp before the morning march is commenced. Excessive water
drinking on the march is the besetting sin of the inexperienced soldier.
One swallow of water calls for another. Soon your canteen is empty. Your
stomach feels uncomfortable. You are still thirsty. If it is necessary
to replace some of the water of the body which is lost by perspiration,
and this is often necessary, first gargle out the mouth and throat and
spit the water out; then take a swallow or two, but be careful not to
drink to excess. Injudicious and excessive water drinking fills the
hospital ambulances and auto trucks with men who should be in ranks. One
half a canteen of water is sufficient for you on any march you will have
to make. After you arrive in camp and have cooled off a little, drink as
much water as you desire, but do so slowly.
CARE OF THE FEET
The infantryman's feet are his means of transportation. If you care for
them properly, you will be rewarded.
1. Wash and dry the feet carefully and put on clean socks as soon as
practicable after getting into camp.
2. Wash out the socks you have been wearing and hang them out to dry.
3. Do not wear socks with holes in them if you can possibly avoid it.
Should a hole begin to cause rubbing, turn the sock inside out or change
it to the other foot.
4. Just as soon as you decide to attend a training camp or join the
colors, cut your toe nails square across the ends so they will not grow
in.
5. In case of any foot trouble that you cannot relieve, report to the
surgeon at once. Don't wait until you cannot march before reporting.
6. A Treatment for Blisters. Be careful not to tear off the skin
covering the blister. Heat the point of a needle until it is red hot and
when it cools insert it under the live skin a little distance away from
the blister. Push it through to the under side of the bruised skin or
blister and then press out the water. To protect the blister, grease a
small piece of chamois with vaseline and place it so that it covers the
blister and extends over on the solid skin surrounding it. Then place a
piece of oxide adhesive tape over the chamois. This method allows the
protective covering to be removed without rupturing the skin over the
blister and protects the new tender and sensitive skin so that the
weight can be rested upon the foot without causing severe pain. One man
in each squad should be provided with a needle, adhesive tape, a bottle
of vaseline, and a piece of chamois for the common use of the squad.
7. Shoes.
a. Be sure they fit your feet. The business shoe you wear at the
office won't do for marching when, with the additional weight you
carry, your foot spreads in breadth and extends in length; hence
your marching shoes should be longer and broader than your business
shoes. This is a very important item and should not be neglected. If
your shoes are too large, blisters will result; if too small, your
foot will be cramped, and every step will be painful.
b. Break your shoes in prior to the practice march.
c. Keep your shoes well oiled so they will be soft and pliable and
keep out water.
d. If your shoes get wet on the inside heat some small pebbles (not
so hot as to burn leather) and keep them inside the shoes until dry.
CAMP SANITATION
In camp you are really your brother's keeper. It is the duty of every
man to keep the camp clean, sanitary, and livable. Constantly bear in
mind that a great number of men are living together in a very small
area; that food is being prepared in the open; that there are no sewers;
and that the ground or dust and streams must not be polluted. Obey
conscientiously and diligently the following rules:
1. Don't take food to your tent.
2. Use the latrines that are provided.
3. When possible bathe each day as soon as practicable after you arrive
at camp.
4. Don't throw food or fruit peeling on the ground.
5. Dispose of any food you cannot eat by burning in the kitchen
incinerator.
6. Keep away from the kitchen and cooks.
7. Don't dip your cup in the drinking water receptacle. Use the dipper
provided for that purpose.
8. If sick, report to a surgeon.
9. Don't litter up the camp with paper.
10. Get your drinking water and bathe at the authorized places. The camp
commander always designates different places for cooking and drinking
water, for watering the animals, for bathing and washing clothes.
11. On leaving camp the ground should be in better condition than when
you arrived. All sinks, latrines, ditches, and holes are filled and the
earth stamped down; all combustibles that have no value should be burned
and noncombustible matter either buried or piled so it can be carted
away.
12. All deposits in the rears should be covered with earth.
MISCELLANEOUS
1. Take great pains each morning to make a neat, small and solid pack
and strap it up securely.
2. Don't put your pack on until ordered to do so by your company
commander or first sergeant.
3. Get your pack properly adjusted.
4. Don't take your equipment off during the halts allowed for resting.
5. Don't eat anything or patronize the soft drink stand during a march.
6. Retire early and get a good night's rest.
7. Use only heavy or light wool socks and see that they fit perfectly.
If you cannot wear wool socks, try cotton and then silk socks.
8. Don't overeat or overdrink.
9. A light pair of sneakers or canvas tennis shoes are serviceable for
camp wear in the afternoons and are restful to the feet.
10. Each morning sprinkle a little talcum powder or footease in the
shoes.
11. Keep the bowels functioning properly. Should you become constipated,
report to the doctor for medicine before you begin to feel badly.
12. Clean your mess kit immediately after each meal.
13. Respect the property of others.
EQUIPMENT
During the hike your equipment for living will be limited to: (1) your
pack (things that you carry on your back), (2) a few authorized articles
which are placed in a squad laundry bag (called a surplus kit), and (3)
a blanket roll.
Contents of the Pack
1 bacon can.
1 condiment can.
1 blanket.
1 poncho.
1 shelter half (one-half of a small tent)
5 small tent pins.
1 tooth brush.
1 comb and any other toilet articles desired.
1 cake of soap.
1 or 2 towels.
1 extra suit of underwear.
1 pair socks.
1 pair shoe strings.
Contents of Surplus Kit
1 pair of breeches.
1 suit of underwear.
1 shirt, olive drab.
1 shoe laces.
2 pair of socks.
1 pair of shoes (tan).
Any other article that may be prescribed by the company commander.
The surplus kit of each man will be made up into a neat, compact bundle,
tied with a string (use a shoe string for the purpose), and tagged with
the owner's name. These individual kits will be packed in a laundry bag,
called "surplus kit bag," tagged, one for each squad.
Contents of Blanket Roll
1. Extra blankets.
2. One ramrod for each squad.
3. Any other articles that may be prescribed by the company
commander.
Each squad makes these extra blankets, etc., into a long roll which is
called the "squad blanket roll." A tag is tied to it, showing to what
regiment, company, and squad it belongs.
Notes
1. The bacon can is a convenient place to carry a small face towel,
shaving outfit, and other small toilet articles.
2. Keep your soap in a soap box.
3. Each squad should have its own cleaning material which should be tied
into a small package and carried in the surplus kit bag.
4. Interest in a hike or a manoeuver will be stimulated if at least one
member of each squad has a map showing all the camp sites and route of
march.
5. One man in each squad should be provided with a small bottle of
iodine, some absorbent cotton and adhesive tape for the common use of
the squad. This saves time for the surgeon and men in caring for minor
injuries, scratches, etc.
ESPRIT DE CORPS
Have too much esprit de corps to complain of the length of the march, or
to kick about the dust on the road. Be self-controlled. Don't boast of
your ability to march on forever. Such remarks are depressing to a tired
comrade who is not as physically strong as you.