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COMBATCombat What makes the difference in battle? It is the excellence of the craftsmanship and the combined inspiration of soldiers and leaders. It is the excellence of the training, the quality of the leaders, and the courage of the soldiers. -GEN Donn A. Starry, "Sergeants’ Business." Military Review, May 1978, p. 9 Young noncommissioned officers are the ones who call the shots; it is on their knowledge, initiative, and courage that our success in battle rests. -SMA Glen E. Morrell, "The NCO: More Vital Than Ever to Readiness." ARMY, Oct 1983, p. 28 When the fire fight has once started it becomes to a great extent a fight of a number of platoons. The platoon is the largest organization which can be controlled by a single leader in action. The platoon commander (lieutenant or sergeant) controls its fire in order to gain the maximum fire effect and to avoid wasting ammunition. He must try his best to make the fire of his platoon effective, to get it forward, and to support neighboring platoons in their effort to advance.... Individual skill in marksmanship is an advantage in battle only when united with fire discipline and control.... The field of battle is the final test of the instruction, discipline, and efficiency of the fighting force of any army. -Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry of the Army of the United States, 1917, pp. 153, 148, 149 [Points about rushing]: As we started moving to contact I got this feeling in my throat, and began to choke a little bit, because I didn’t know what I was getting into. Particularly as a rifleman. I was just more or less following the leader. But once we were fired upon and I managed to get missed, our leaders directed us somewhere to put out that firepower, then I had no qualms whatsoever. All the butterflies went out, and I was just a soldier trying to survive. -SGM Albert Lee Wallace in the Battle of the Bulge, WWII, "Quarter Century with the Infantry." Army Digest, May 1969, p. 38 The infantry...this unglamorous, greathearted fighting machine. -Audie Murphy, To Hell and Back, 1949, p. 8 Communications are your key to control. Once a combat operation is in progress, your ability to communicate measures the amount of control you can exercise over the subordinate elements of your unit. In a fire fight, your ability to communicate usually determines the amount of support (artillery, air, medical, supply) you will get when and where you need it.... Your communications equipment is your lifeline in combat; check, test, and inspect it frequently, and particularly before any combat operations.... Don’t depend entirely on any one means of communication; plan for alternate, secondary, and emergency means. -DA Pam 350-13, Guide for Platoon Sergeants, 1967, p. 37 The shepherd boy David had observed the Philistines for some time and knew their tactics well.... David also knew his own capabilities and those of his weapon; and he refused to accept the armor that Saul offered him, because he had not tried it. Against the leering giant, who stood before him and ridiculed him because he was young and fair and a mere shepherd boy, David took up his simple slingshot, with which he was tactically and technically proficient. With a clear eye and a steady hand, he fearlessly delivered one lethal blow to the oversized braggart.... Twentieth-century giants can be killed, too. As a competent antitanker you probably have had more training for giant-killing than David had. But you might do well to employ some of his tactics. And, of course, it doesn’t hurt to have God on your side. -MSG Anton J. Sladeczek and Jane A. Beachner, "Tank-Busting in Towns." Infantry, Mar-Apr 1976, p. 37 Noncommissioned officers...are the heart of the infantry. -Marshal Maurice de Saxe, My Reveries, 1732, p. 215 Look at an infantryman’s eyes and you can tell how much war he has seen.... I don’t make the infantryman look noble, because he couldn’t look noble even if he tried. Still there is a certain nobility and dignity in combat soldiers and medical aid men with dirt in their ears. They are rough and their language gets coarse because they live a life stripped of convention and niceties. Their nobility and dignity come from the way they live unselfishly and risk their lives to help each other. -SGT Bill Mauldin, Up Front, 1945, pp. 42, 14-15 One of the first things that will impress you when you get into your first fire fight will be what an experienced combat veteran has described as "ordered confusion."... Many things happen in the heat of battle which do not go according to plan. In this respect a maneuver on the battlefield is something like a football game. If everything went exactly according to plan, the offensive team would score a touchdown on every play. Russian Field Service Regulations: Combat Power Although he lost several battles, Frederick [the Great] was a military genius, which accounted in part for his success. But contemporaries were quick to point to his NCO corps as a secret weapon. -The Story of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps, p. 36 [Because of developments in weapons] a squad leader in World War II commanded more firepower than an infantry regiment with attached artillery in the nineteenth century. -Time-Honored Professionals, 1989, no page number A group of men is a military weapon. -The Noncom’s Guide, 1948, p. 18 Many years ago, as a cadet hoping some day to be an officer, I was poring over "The Principles of War," listed in the old Field Service Regulations, when the Sergeant-Major came upon me. He surveyed me with kindly amusement. "Don't bother your head about all them things, me lad," he said. "There's only one principle of war and that's this. Hit the other fellow, as quick as you can, and as hard as you can, where it hurts him most, when he ain't looking!" -WWII Field-Marshal Sir William Slim, Defeat into Victory, pp. 550-551 Our Army achieves a combat power that is greater than the number of soldiers in a given unit would indicate. The U.S. Army achieves great battlefield strength from a high ratio of firepower and a tactical flexibility bred of the most modern organizational and communication facilities. -The Noncom’s Guide, 1955, p. 15 It is no accident that the U.S. Army NCO corps is recognized by the world’s armed forces as a U.S. national strength.... Our NCOs are proud because they know they are good. -GEN Colin L. Powell and CSM Robert F. Beach, "The Strength of the NCO Corps Is a National Strategic Asset." ARMY, Oct 1989, p. 47 Combat Leadership In the action of battell [the Sergeant Major is] to espie every advantage upon the enemy: and valiantly to animate, order and encourage his souldiers to valour, vertue and honour; and that with couragious and honourable words: and if by fortune any of his squadrons be disordered and broken, he must with all speedinesse, courage, and skill redresse the same. -The Theorike and Practike of Moderne Warres, 1598, p. 109 In an emergency, when the unexpected happens, you must provide leadership. You must be able to draw upon your inner resources of personal character- courage, initiative, ingenuity, common sense. -The New Noncom’s Guide, 1970, p. 11 [When taking over a combat-hardened rifle squad, the platoon sergeant] wisely told me to make the acting squad leader my second-in-command and to accept his advice until I got "zeroed in." The best policy to follow in taking over is to coast along until you get under fire, which will be very soon. A few minutes under fire is your best orientation. After that, you’ve overcome "combat stage fright" and you can start at once to mold your squad into a smooth-working team. -a SSG, 85th Inf Division, WWII, "To Replacement NCOs." Infantry, Jun 1945, p. 64 The real test of leadership, however, comes in combat, when the leader must consciously and constantly analyze his effectiveness as a leader. He should ask himself repeatedly these pointed leadership questions: One thing we’ve always done in the infantry- we never let one man do all the thinking. We always listen to any individual who wants to offer advice. We may not agree with it, but we listen to him. After all, this is his life too. He’s going out there with you, and I’ve always maintained that two or three heads are better than one. Prior to an attack- if time permits- I ask some of the men, "How would you do it?" You’ll have a better rifle team going out with you than if you just say "Okay, you go here, you go there, you do this..." We let this private walk through the door right along with our leaders and that way he feels part of the team and feels he had something to do with the development of the operation order. -SGM Albert Lee Wallace, "Quarter Century with the Infantry." Army Digest, May 1969, p. 41 It would be wrong to hazard an engagement, if the old experienced soldiers testify to a disinclination to fight. -Vegetius, The Military Institutions of the Romans, 390 AD, p. 152 "Let’s Go"...is a challenge to action...breathes decision and confidence...embodies an invitation, which is stronger than compulsion, without in the least weakening disciplinary authority [and] expresses unity of purpose. -The Old Sergeant’s Conferences, 1930, pp. 128, 129 When his unit was ordered to fall back, [CPL Charles L.] Gilliland covered the withdrawal. He lost his life making certain his fellow soldiers made good their escape. He received the Medal of Honor posthumously for demonstrating that leadership not only means "follow me"- sometimes it means being the last one out. -SFC Frank Cox, "The NCO Corps." Soldiers, May 1989, p. 10 Come on, you sons of bitches- do you want to live forever? -Gunnery SGT Dan Daly to members of his platoon, WWI, in At Belleau Wood, p. 173 Decision-making in Combat [With war being in some ways like chess] if you’re a smart player, you’re thinking two or three moves ahead; you’ve anticipated the enemy action and you’re preparing your own offensive counterthrust.... "You’ve got to be thinking, ‘What if?’" said [LTC Clayton Melton]. "If I were attacking, what would I do?" For the leader who doesn’t consider the answers to those questions...the reply might be short and to the point. Checkmate. -SGT William H. McMichael, "The Human Chess Game." Army Trainer, Fall 1988, p. 42 You want to make sure, since you’re dealing with people’s lives, you don’t make hasty decisions. Every decision you make or order you give in combat is of the split-second type. You’d be surprised how much time three seconds is in making a decision. -SGM Albert Lee Wallace, "Quarter Century with the Infantry." Army Digest, May 1969, p. 39 The effectiveness of maneuver, fire power, and protection depends on how well leaders combine tactics, techniques, and procedures to meet the realities of mission, enemy, terrain, and troops available. Leaders must recognize inherent advantages and disadvantages in order to think ahead, develop alternative courses of action, evaluate those courses of action, and take the initiative. -NCOPD Study, Vol 1, 1986, p. 206 As an NCO, you have to make split-second decisions. When you’re a combat-oriented NCO, you don’t have to stop and think- you’re thinking all the time. -MSG Roy Benavidez, in "MSG (Ret) Roy Benavidez: A Real American Hero." NCO Journal, Spring 1996, p. 11 Initiative in Combat Anyone who has experienced battle knows that there is no such thing as a discipline that takes the place of individual effort. -RSM John Holbrook, in On the Word of Command, 1990, p. 153 During mock battles in the NTC’s Mojave Desert, quality training results in senior NCOs taking charge in the absence of orders. Often it’s the NCOs’ initiative that determines the outcome of the battle. For the most part, senior NCOs are ready and able to execute without specific instructions. Unfortunately, commanders too often fail to get the mission down to them. It has been my experience that junior NCOs are ready to take charge when superiors neglect to issue orders. At the National Training Center...a big difference on results is obtained when weapons fail, things break down, things go wrong, and the soldiers find alternative ways. -a FORSCOM CDR, quoted by CSM Joshua Perry, "Regimental Command Sergeant Major." Military Police, Apr 1989, p. 3 Determination in Combat It is by the fighting man’s determination and "guts" that the enemy is conquered in close combat. It is this man, more than the machines of war, who brings success in battle. -The Noncom’s Guide, 1954, p. 62 When one reporter asked how the soldiers endured the cold and went sleepless to complete the bridge [over the Sava River between Croatia and Bosnia-Herzegovina], SSG Robert Butcher...said that the soldiers...weren’t going to let the river win. -GEN Dennis J. Reimer, "CSA Counts on NCOs to Keep the Spirit Alive." NCO Journal, Spring 1996, p. 4 An attack must be well planned, well constructed and vigorously pushed. Once it has been set into motion there is no turning back without heavy losses. -Non-Commissioned Officer’s Tools, no date, p. 12 A few men judiciously placed and acting with resolution may detain a large body of the enemy for some time.... Experience has taught that a body of troops on landing are always in some sort of disorder at first, and the spirited conduct of a few cool and determined individuals will increase the same to an astonishing degree. -Hints for Non-Commissioned Officers on Actual Service, 1804, p. 16, 17 Keeping Cool An Infantry leader can [teach soldiers] about the physical effects of fear. If each soldier can learn how he feels when he is afraid, then his fear in combat will not be totally unfamiliar. -1SG Walter D. Stock, "Leading to Confidence." Infantry, May-Jun 1978, pp. 24-25 Try to keep cool because the [enemy] may be more scared than you. -WWII gunner, in What the Soldier Thinks: A Monthly Digest of War Department Studies on the Attitudes of American Troops, Aug 1944, p. 10 Prior to a battle such as [the Battle of the Bulge], what is done with a man who is showing extreme tension? There’s always something you can kid any individual about. In a situation like that, you can usually look around and sense who’s having problems. Someone will go over and start talking to him. The main thing is to get him talking and to loosen up and this usually takes care of him. If you can’t kid him you generally ask about his family, where he’s from and how he got involved in the war.... We never degrade anyone for this. It’s not a crime. It’s nothing to be ashamed of just because a man has fear. This is part of life. But you can get that man off to the side and give him some self-confidence.... But...once that man is in the battle and that first round goes off, he’s a veteran and he acts like one from there on out. -SGM Albert Lee Wallace, "Quarter Century with the Infantry." Army Digest, May 1969, p. 39 The greatest peril of the jungle is panic. The hardiest of men, upon finding themselves cast into a jungle, are subject to a certain degree of shock. The first thing...to do is to sit down, take stock of the situation, inventory the survival equipment on hand, and work out a plan of action. -MSG W. F. Fitzgerald, "Training for Jungle Survival." Army Information Digest, May 1951, p. 18 What to do if lost. First of all, don’t lose your head- keep cool- try not to let your brains get into your feet. By this we mean don’t run around and make things worse, and play yourself out. To begin with, sit down and think; cool off. Then climb a tree, or hill, and endeavor to locate some familiar object.... If you find a stream, follow it; it will generally lead somewhere- where civilization exists. -Noncommissioned Officers’ Manual, 1917, p. 233 According to Polybius [c. 200 BC], the men the Romans chose as their centurions were those who could keep cool in an emergency. -The Army of the Caesars, p. xxxiii How can fear help you? Fear is not altogether undesirable. It is nature’s way of preparing your body for battle. As a consequence, the body automatically undergoes certain changes. You may temporarily lose a sense of fatigue, no matter how tired you are.... Fear...can stimulate your body, make you more alert, and prepare you for unusual physical effort.... [Tips on controlling fear]: Surprise Query No. 1. What is a surprise? Answer. To come upon an enemy who is negligent (either by stratagem or treachery) in such a manner that he is not able to get in a proper state of defense. A surprise has no apology. -Customs of Service for Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers, 1865, p. 128 Keeping Dispersed Death loves a crowd. -SGM Tim Gowing, Crimean War, in On the Word of Command, p. 32 If my nose had been a shovel I’d have been speaking Chinese in another five minutes. -SGT R. C. Billington, after being shelled during WWII, The G.I. Journal of Sergeant Giles, p. 39 You never want to get so involved with a stricken man that you stop putting out that firepower. We are taught the principles of first aid but we have a medic with us. If a buddy is shot down next to me, I continue to observe the enemy while hollering for the medic. If none is available I’ll designate one man to go over and try and stop the blood until a medic arrives.... We’ve lost quite a few men huddling around a wounded man. -SGM Albert Lee Wallace, "Quarter Century with the Infantry." Army Digest, May 1969, p. 40 Safety in Combat I’ve seen [the risk assessment card] used in peace and in battle. It’s in combat where the big payoff comes, but it works anytime, anywhere. -SGM John Chavez, in "Force Protection- It’s in the Cards." NCO Journal, Spring 1993, p. 9 Soldiers will often ignore some of the more basic safety measures, rationalizing that "it’s a war-zone," and that different rules apply. Concerned leaders [in Desert Storm] ensured that this misconception quickly dissipated.... Soldiers have a tendency to sleep anywhere, especially when the unit is on the move, and NCOs had to constantly check for soldiers sleeping near vehicles (or in the cab of running vehicles- carbon monoxide danger). -MSG Gregory A. Drake, in Personal Perspectives on the Gulf War, 1993, pp. 21-22 Desert Warfare War in the desert is often described as a "war of water," with victory going to the side that conserves and uses its available water wisely.... Lack of water threatens the life of every living thing in the desert, but the dangers there are not all physical. "An oppressive feeling of immense loneliness overcomes everyone more or less frequently in the desert, a feeling that one is cut off from everything one holds dear," wrote World War II veteran, German Generalmajor Alfred Toppe. Leaders, according to Toppe, "must recognize such moods and depressions and offer sincere encouragement so that pressure will disappear."... Survival, Escape, and Evasion The most important thing the Army can teach its soldiers about captivity is that they are stronger than the enemy if they stick together.... If soldiers stay together in every way, take care of their sick and weak, buck each other up when the going gets rough, and resist the enemy in every way, he won’t be able to brainwash or convert any one of them.... The habit of continually studying terrain before, as well as after, capture cannot be stressed too highly. Constant terrain study will increase the chances of effecting a successful escape.... When you are first disarmed by the enemy, you probably will be close enough to the front to reach safety a short time after escape. But as you move to the rear the chances of successful escape diminish with each additional yard of enemy territory covered. Therefore you should become escape-conscious at once. The next incoming shell or burst of gunfire may force your captor to seek cover- to throw himself on the ground, or perform some similar instinctive action. Watch your chances; when this happens get away fast- this is the time to run.... There are three keys to survival [as a POW]: organization, knowledge of survival techniques peculiar to imprisonment, and mutual trust with resultant discipline.... The goal must be to create continuous and wholehearted cooperation within the group. Every action should add to discipline and pride, for discipline here can be only voluntary.... Good morale is necessary. The commander must deliberately sustain it. Certain chosen representatives must be made to feel that the spirit of the group is their direct responsibility. Humor is an effective tool; persuasion, optimism, prayer, and songs will play an important part. -SFC Fred H. Bost, "To Live as a P.O.W." Infantry, Mar-Apr 1965, p. 43-44 There isn’t a man in the world who can’t be broken. The important thing was not to give up the first time. Those who made it tougher each time were sooner or later left alone.... You just have to believe in what you do. You have to be able to live with yourself when it’s all over.... Over the years, you begin to remember the good things. -MSG John Anderson, in "Five Years of ‘Hanoi Hilton’: A Former POW Looks Back." ARMY, May 1983, pp. 28, 29 If you’re ever captured, you have to be ready to handle it. Read the Code of Conduct. Understand it. Have faith in your fellow prisoners. Believe that your government will come after you some way, somehow. Eat whatever your captors give you; you’ve got to keep your strength up. -MSG Martin Frank, "A Soldier’s Story." Soldiers, Dec 1988, p. 36 I’d have never survived or escaped [as a POW] if I hadn’t kept myself physically fit, mentally alert, and spiritually sound.... When we were together on details I’d tell the guys, "don’t forget to pray."... When you’re a POW you always think of ways to escape, then take the opportunity when it comes. In the meantime, I counted the bars on my cage or drew pictures in the dirt. I sang, weaved bamboo or worked math problems.... The smallest victory gave me new life. -SGM Isaac Camacho, in "Faith, Courage, Determination Meant Escape and Survival." NCO Journal, Summer 1993, p. 9 Nobody needs to starve in the jungle.... There is always adequate sustenance within easy walking distance but it has to be recognized before it can be exploited. However, the jungle does not cater to clientele with prejudiced palates... "Remember, anything a monkey eats, a man can eat." -MSG W. F. Fitzgerald, "Training for Jungle Survival." Army Information Digest, May 1951, pp. 18, 22 Support in Combat Soldiers must be absolutely confident that no matter what happens to them, they can always depend on their unit to support them.... During combat, the leader can build on this foundation of group cohesion to structure the situation. A soldier’s greatest need when he is in contact with an enemy is to have some kind of structure in his situation. -1SG Walter D. Stock, "Leading to Confidence." Infantry, May-Jun 1978, p. 23 When you’re in the Army, you can be in the infantry at any given moment. -SGT Michael Davis, in "Sergeants on Training." Sergeants’ Business, Jul-Aug 1988, p. 13 I have heard [President William] McKinley say that the experience he got in the Civil War [as a Quartermaster-Sergeant] and from which he came out an officer, was the most valuable experience and training he had had in all his life. -"Talks by the ‘Old Man.’" National Guard, Jun 1915, p. 113 When we first heard the planes and turned to look, just as far as you could see the sky was full of them- they just didn’t quit, wave after wave after wave coming in, as far back as you could see.... God, but they were beautiful. -SGT Henry Giles, WWII, The G.I. Journal of Sergeant Giles, p. 62 Army Aviation means many things to many soldiers: Them old boys at the front have sure got my sympathy. Least we can do is work our fingers off to give them the stuff. -CPL Herschel Grimsley, Ordnance Repairman, WWII, Ernie’s War, p. 320 There are very few things in combat that will destroy morale faster than poor logistical support. -CSM Bob L. Williams, "The Sergeant Major." Infantry, Sep-Oct 1969, p. 19 Supply is the key to winning, but we must be able to fight the supplies through to where the victory is won. -SSG Gilbert Warner, "Defending the LCU’s." Army Logistician, May-Jun 1991, p. 33 In combat, as in garrison, company administration remains a big responsibility for you- the first sergeant.... In your training more than once you heard it said authoritatively that administration within the company stops upon entry into combat. Don’t believe it. When you go into combat, administration will take on a new and important meaning. Maintenance in Combat The first thing Sgt [Bazzel Carter did every morning was to] start the engines of his tank...to make sure everything was in readiness for a sudden mission. After breakfast he showed me all through his tank. It was so spotless you could have eaten off the floor. He was very proud of it, and had me sit in the driver’s seat and start the engines to hear them sing. -Ernie Pyle, WWII, Brave Men, p. 263 We exercised the guns and we knew when things weren’t right.... If that howitzer sounded different I could tell by the sound alone. I may not have known what was wrong, but I knew we had to start looking.... Maintenance is critical to combat success. There’s a temptation to brush off maintenance when it’s "only for training." When it’s "only for training," if you break down maintenance comes by and you sit there until it gets fixed. In Saudi Arabia, you break down, you’re left behind because the majority of the force is gonna keep on moving. We finished the battle with 23 of our 24 artillery pieces, which is a pretty good record. -SFC Larry Ingram, "Moving Beyond Victory." NCO Journal, Summer 1991, p. 16 If you tell soldiers their lives depend on how well their equipment runs, they pay a little more attention. They baby that equipment.... Sandstorms were a major problem [in Desert Storm]. Without goggles, your eyes get destroyed. The sand meant we had to pay extra attention to detail. When you look over your equipment, everything may seem okay. But underneath, if you didn’t clean that breather screen every day, you were in big trouble. -MSG Earl Shelley, "Moving Beyond Victory." NCO Journal, Summer 1991, p. 16 Equipment seems to break just when it’s needed. This is especially true with communications equipment. One minute a communications check with the platoon leader is successful and the next minute you can’t reach anybody. Most of the time, good operator PMCS will prevent this from happening. -SFC Lawrence Kordosky, "OREs Just Tools of the Trade." NCO Journal, Spring 1995, p. 18 The enemy, which could be seen all around, quickly went on the offensive, attacking vital components of the 3rd ACR’s equipment.... As fine as talcum powder, the sand worked its way into air and fuel filters, choking the power from engines. Additionally, the sand made for a difficult driving surface, sometimes prying tank tracks from road wheels and placing a greater strain on vehicle transmissions.... Fortunately, the maintenance troopers were prepared for the foe and met the...assault with success. [The Support Troop, 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment’s] success in Operation Desert Storm depended on its repairers, not the number of spare parts. -SGT Michael P. Mauer, "A Sandy Enemy." Ordnance, May 1991, pp. 12, 13 Rations in Combat Rations have a whole lot to do with it too. I noticed that the first day we were eating, and everything was fine. The second day the boys were growling a little, but we busted through three final protective lines just the same. The third day they were mean and hard to handle. -Sergeant Terry Bull: His Ideas on War and Fighting in General, 1943, p. 173 At 4:30 A.M. (June 4) we were cleaning our guns...about this time of day a soldier generally eats; but eats we had not. -SGT Bernard J. McCrossen, 23d Infantry, WWI, The Second Division American Expeditionary Force in France 1917-1919, p. 253 The farther forward a [soldier] traveled the slacker his gut became. -Bill Mauldin, Back Home, 1947, p. 10 The boys are growling like hungry men will. -SGT Hamlin Coe, Civil War, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory, p. 151 Medical Support in Combat Gent. And what is to be done with those hurt and slaine men, for me thinkes they should be looked unto. The dogface’s real hero is the litter bearer and aid man who goes into all combat situations right along with the infantryman, shares his hardships and dangers, and isn’t able to fight back.... If it were not for the aid man the casualty would [often] not live to reach the surgeon’s table. -SGT Bill Mauldin, Up Front, 1945, pp. 118, 119 [The sergeant must not permit men to] fall out to attend the wounded without orders; the battle must be won first. -Customs of Service for Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers, 1865, p. 117 With the exception of the trip to Mexico in 1854 and the treaty at [the] mouth of Horse Creek in 1851, in my whole five years of service [in the Cavalry] while on the plains, every summer on a long campaign, liable to battle and always expecting it, we never had a doctor. Let soldiers of to-day congratulate themselves on the liberality of the Government, the humanity and Christianity of the Red Cross, and the universal demand that soldiers have every comfort that our modern civilization affords. -1SG Percival G. Lowe, Five Years a Dragoon [1849-1854], p. 42 Hospital stewards are non-commissioned officers of the highest grade.... They must be men...of unimpeachable integrity. [Hospital stewards and hospital soldiers] are subject to the same conditions of subordination and discipline, and differ from other enlisted men only in the nature of their duties. They are equipped as infantry, excepting when serving in the field with cavalry or light artillery, when they are mounted, but they carry no offensive weapons. They are armed with a large knife, and one-fourth of them carry a medicine case.... Besides their duties in-doors they are drilled in the use of litters and ambulances, which involves the careful and expeditious transportation of a wounded man from the place of casualty to the bed of the hospital. These drills in and out of doors are carried out with the precision and attention to detail that mark other military exercises. -The Armies of To-Day, 1893, pp. 15, 16 The idea of women playing a role in the British armed forces first occurred to a cavalryman as he lay wounded on the battlefield under a hot African sun in the Sudan [c. 1898]. Sergeant-Major Edward Charles Baker, whether in a moment of delirium or percipience, envisaged a troop of graceful young ladies galloping side-saddle to his rescue, lifting him tenderly on to a stretcher and transporting him back to safety.... Sergeant-Major Baker...never forgot his vision of women on the battlefield and [in 1907] advertised in the national press for women to join an organization he called the First Aid Nursing Yeomanry Corps.... FANY got off to a good start. -Roy Terry, Women in Khaki, pp. 21, 25, 26 NCOs in Combat We have good corporal and sergeants and some good lieutenants and captains, and those are far more important than good generals. -GEN William T. Sherman, [1820-1891], in War Through the Ages, p. 609 [At the Battle of Little Round Top, Gettysburg, 1863] the air seemed to be alive with lead. The lines at times were so near each other that the hostile gun barrels almost touched.... Our line is pressed so far that our dead are within the lines of the enemy. The pressure made by the superior weight of the enemy’s lines is severely felt. Our ammunition is nearly all gone, and we are using the cartridges from the boxes of our wounded comrades. A critical moment has arrived, and we can remain as we are no longer; we must advance or retreat. It must not be the latter, but how can it be the former? Colonel Chamberlain understands how it can be done. The order is given "Fix bayonets!" and the steel shanks of the bayonets rattle upon the rifle barrels. "Charge bayonets, charge!" Every man understood in a moment that the movement was our only salvation, but there is a limit to human endurance, and I do not dishonor those brave men when I write that for a brief moment the order was not obeyed, and the little line seemed to quail under the fearful fire that was being poured upon it. O for some man reckless of life, and all else save his country’s honor and safety, who would rush far out to the front, lead the way, and inspire the hearts of his exhausted comrades! In that moment of supreme need the want was supplied. Lieut. H. S. Melcher, an officer who had worked his way up from the ranks, and was then in command of Co. F., at that time the color company, saw the situation and did not hesitate, and for his gallant act deserved as much as any other man of the honor of the victory on Round Top. With a cheer, and a flash of his sword, that sent an inspiration along the line, full ten paces to the front he sprang- ten paces- more than half the distance between the hostile lines. "Come on! Come on! Come on, boys!" he shouts. The color sergeant and the brave color guard follow, and with one wild yell of anguish wrung from its tortured heart, the regiment charged. -Theodore Gerrish, 20th Maine Volunteers, 2 July 1863, Civil War, in Rank and File, pp. 324-325 Discussions of leadership are apt to dwell upon such people as George Washington and Robert E. Lee and George Patton and Admiral Nelson and Admiral Nimitz and General Doolittle. Not many of us need to prepare for their jobs. The leader I prefer to consider is the sergeant who must get his squad up a knife-edged ridge to an enemy bunker; the commander of a small craft who must cross a reef and touch down exactly in the right spot on a blazing beach; the airplane pilot who must take his plane through the middle of terrific flak straight to the objective while paratroopers go out the door. They are the leaders who must win your battles. -GEN W. B. Palmer, "Men Think as Their Leaders Think." Army Information Digest, Jan 1954, p. 10 SGT Ezra Lee [a soldier in the Connecticut Militia] distinguished himself in 1776 by attempting the first submarine attack in the history of warfare. -from "The Connecticut Water Machine Versus the Royal Navy." American Heritage, Dec 1980, pp. 33-38 When the charge [on the Rebel works at New Market Heights, VA., September 29, 1864] was started our color-guard was complete. Only one of the twelve came off that field on his own feet. Most of the others are there still. Early in the rush one of the sergeants went down, a bullet cutting his flag-staff in two and passing through his body. The other sergeant, Alfred B. Hilton, of Company H...pressed forward with them both. It was a deadly hailstorm of bullets, sweeping men down as hailstones sweep the leaves from the trees, and it was not long before he also went down, shot through the leg. As he fell he held up the flags and shouted: "Boys, save the colors!" -Medal of Honor recipient SGM Christian A. Fleetwood, 4th U.S. Colored Troops, Deeds of Valor, p. 434 [During the Civil War] SGT Kady Brownell served with her husband, an orderly (first) sergeant, in both the 1st and 5th Rhode Island Infantry. She was a color bearer on the march and a nurse in the field. In one action, she saved her comrades from friendly fire by running to their front with her colors. -Dr. John Wands Sacca, "Civil War NCOs." NCO Journal, Summer 1995, p. 17 [During the battle at Chaffin’s Farm on 29 Sep 1864, SGM Milton M. Holland, 1SG James H. Bronson, 1SG Robert Pinn, and 1SG Powhatan Beaty] were left in command of their respective companies. Each earned a Medal of Honor for gallantry and meritoriously leading his unit through the day’s bloody struggles. -Negro Medal of Honor Men, p. 33 NCOs saved my life during the Battle of Bastogne and other battles of WWII. -Dr. Ernest F. Fisher, 501st Parachute Infantry, 101st Airborne Division, in A Treasury of NCO Quotations, 1997, no page number [In the midst of WWII] there occurred an episode that [GEN Creighton] Abrams would remember, and speak of with reverence, for the rest of his life. At Valhey tanks from his Company A rolled into the center of town, led by the company commander, Captain William Spencer, in the first tank. Commanding the second tank in the column was Sergeant Joseph Sadowski. The lead tank swung north around a corner as Sadowski clattered into the village square. There a German armor-piercing round from an 88mm antitank gun scored a direct hit on his tank, catching it in the flank and setting it afire. The doomed vehicle lurched to a halt next to the town’s water trough as the flames built in intensity. CPL Hiroshi H. Miyamura, a second-generation Japanese-American [received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Korean War], as part of Company H, 2nd Bn, 7th Inf Regiment.] His citation reads in part: ...Company H was occupying a defensive position when the enemy fanatically attacked, threatening to overrun the position. CPL Miyamura, a machine-gun squad leader, aware of the imminent danger to his men, unhesitatingly jumped from his shelter wielding his bayonet in close hand-to-hand combat killing approximately 10 of the enemy. Returning to his position, he administered first aid to the wounded and directed their evacuation. As another savage assault hit the line, he manned his machine-gun and delivered withering fire until his ammunition was expended. He ordered the squad to withdraw while he stayed behind to render the gun inoperative. He then bayoneted his way through infiltrated enemy soldiers to a second gun emplacement and assisted in its operation. When the intensity of the attack necessitated the withdrawal of the company, CPL Miyamura ordered his men to fall back while he remained to cover their movement. He killed more than 50 of the enemy before his ammunition was depleted and he was severely wounded. He maintained his magnificent stand despite his painful wounds, continuing to repel the attack until his position was overrun. When last seen he was fighting ferociously against an overwhelming number of enemy soldiers.... Miyamura was captured and spent 28 months in a POW camp. -"Brave Medal of Honor Recipient Was Native of Gallup, New Mexico." NCO Journal, Winter 1997, inside back cover DUNCAN- What bloody man is that? He can report, as seemeth by his plight,
of the revolt the newest state. NCOs Commanding in Combat [Extracts from the diary of SGT Hamlin Coe, 19th Michigan Volunteer Infantry, Civil War]: Corporal Sandy E. Jones [a soldier in one of the black units in WWI], after all his officers had been knocked out, and most of his sergeants, put a company together and led it for two days against a hill position. Corporal Jones was the Iron Commander’s [GEN John Pershing] idea of a fighter...a fighter...a fighter. Pershing pinned the D.S.C. on his left breast. -Laurence Stallings, The Doughboys: The Story of the AEF, p. 318 [One night during the Korean War, PFC Minelli, a trumpeter assigned as a DIVARTY night duty clerk, single-handedly directed a successful artillery battle. The duty officer was exhausted, and PFC Minelli did not want to wake him, so at 0100, when the battle began with the receipt of the first reports of incoming mortar shell attacks, he responded to each requirement. By 0330] the 54 guns of the division artillery were all in action and the corps artillery with four battalions was well into its counterbattery plan. More than 3,000 artillerymen were hard at work.... The subdued thunder of artillery fire was...constant and omnidirectional. The sky was lighted by gun flashes from three quadrants. In one regiment’s battalion, one day a year, the NCOs are given full charge of the unit. This is done to commemorate a time in the unit’s past when all of the officers were killed or wounded, and the NCOs had to take command. -The Soldier’s Guidebook, 1995, p. 109 Musicians in Combat [A musician in the army of Frederick the Great was] caught in the open by a cossack, who hunted him across a meadow.... At the last moment the musician turned about in desperation and presented the monstrous muzzle of his bassoon at the cossack, who promptly fled in terror. -The Army of Frederick the Great, p. 142 In the summer of 1900 American troops joined soldiers from seven other nations to rescue citizens besieged in their embassies in the walled city of Peking during an outbreak of violence directed at foreigners in China. On 14 August, when his commander asked for a volunteer to scale the east wall of the city without the aid of ropes or ladders, [Musician Calvin P.] Titus replied, "I’ll try, sir." Under enemy fire Titus successfully climbed the thirty-foot wall by way of jagged holes in its surface. His company followed his lead up the wall, hauling up their rifles and ammunition belts by a rope made with rifle slings. For his daring example, Corporal Titus...received the Medal of Honor. -The Story of the Noncommissioned Officer Corps, p. 218 One of the gallant incidents which thrilled the country, and Scotland particularly, was the remarkable courage displayed by Piper George Findlater, of The Gordon Highlanders, during the Tirah Campaign in 1897. The fighting took place against the Afridis on the North-West Frontier of India, and early in the attack on the wellnigh impregnable heights at Dargai, on 20th October, Findlater was wounded in both legs by rifle fire. He sank to the ground with blood streaming from his wounds, but continued playing Scottish warlike tunes on his pipes, which gave great encouragement and determination to his comrades as they crossed the bullet-swept ground. Efforts were made to remove him to a place of safety where his wounds could receive attention, but he refused all offers until the heights had been won. In recognition of his devotion to duty he was awarded the Victoria Cross. One of the tunes played on that memorable occasion was the well-known "Cock o’ the North," which has since been adopted by The Gordon Highlanders as their Regimental March. Thus a simple tune perpetuates the memory of a very fine episode in the history of the Regiment. -MAJ T. J. Edwards, Military Customs, 1954, p. 27 Hope [The Indians’] greatest success had been against demoralized men who had given up hope and lost their heads, which soon made their scalps an easy prey. -1SG Percival G. Lowe, Five Years a Dragoon [1849-1854], p. 116 A situation is seldom as black as the imagination paints it. -Audie Murphy, To Hell and Back, 1949, p. 96 If you remain cheerful and optimistic, your men will take courage from your example. -DA Pam 350-12, Guide for Squad Leaders, 1967, p. 9 Reliance on God in Combat War is a sober thing and a soldier needs something more than mere courage to support him. -CPL Frederick Pettit, Civil War, Infantryman Pettit, p. 148 When things look bad in combat, a soldier has a tendency to ask God for a little help.... I’ve overheard a lot of things directed toward God in close calls, from men I never would have expected.... The Battle of the Bulge...sure made a Christian out of me. -SGM Albert Lee Wallace, "Quarter Century with the Infantry." Army Digest, May 1969, p. 41 Every night before we put out ambushes, [SFC Bobby Henderson] would kneel down and pray.... There is a dimension of faith in being a soldier. There are powerful factors at play on the battlefield which can’t be measured. -BG Jay M. Garner, in "Sarge." Air Defense Artillery, Jul-Aug 1989, p. 15 |
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