Taking Care of Your Feet

[Tips on feet care]: Dirty feet invite blisters.... Carry an extra pair of shoe laces. A broken lace will loosen the shoe which will soon cripple you.... Under no circumstances should a soldier ever start off on a march wearing a pair of new shoes. -Noncommissioned Officers’ Manual, 1917, pp. 201, 202

Changing socks and massaging feet twice a day will prevent most foot injuries. -"Cold-Induced Injury: A Preventable Loss." Sergeants’ Business, Jan-Feb 1988, p. 8

Making a Life Preserver. Three or four empty canteens, tightly corked and fastened together, make a very good life preserver. -Noncommissioned Officers’ Manual, 1917, p. 299

Clothing, Keeping Warm, and Cleanliness

Every day, if possible, hang your blanket and clothing out to air in the sun; shake or beat them with a small stick. Germs and vermin don’t like this treatment, but damp, musty clothing suits them very well. -Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry of the Army of the United States, 1917, p. 45

Never lose an opportunity of taking a bath or of washing your socks and underclothing. A bullet passing through dirty clothes will often cause a seriously infected wound which would otherwise be comparatively harmless.... If the lack of opportunity to wash clothes continues for any length of time, soiled clothes and bedding must be frequently exposed to the sun and air. Sunshine is a good germ killer....

Cold. C- Keep it clean. O- Avoid overheating. L- Wear it loose and in layers. D- Keep it dry. -DA Pam 350-13, Guide for Platoon Sergeants, 1967, p. 49

Wearing clean clothes [will help keep you warmer]. Clothes contain thousands of tiny air pockets within their fibers, and air is an excellent insulator. Air pockets in dirty clothes are crushed or filled up with dirt, letting body heat escape. -SFC Larry A. Schnakenberg, "Give Winter the Cold Shoulder." EurArmy, Dec 1989, p. 12

If water is scarce, rub the body over with a wet towel. If no water is at hand, take a dry rub. -Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry of the Army of the United States, 1917, p. 44

The non-commissioned officers are to see that [the soldiers] wash their hands and faces every day, and oftener when necessary. And when any river is nigh, and the season favourable, the men shall bathe themselves as frequently as possible. -MG Frederick von Steuben, Regulations for the Order and Discipline of the Troops of the United States, 1779, p. 89

In case of men failing to take the prescribed baths, as recorded in the bath book in the hands of the noncommissioned officer in charge of quarters, the squad chief is required to march them to the bath house for the necessary ablutions. -CPT William T. Littebrant, "The Squad System." Journal of the U.S. Cavalry Association, Oct 1904, p. 331

Had inspection of underwear. We did not have to take it off, only open our shirts and let the officers see how dirty it is. -CPL John E. Aasland, 5th Marines, WWI, The Second Division American Expeditionary Force in France 1917-1919, p. 273

The grimy mud, the slimy mud, the mud that makes you swear; The cheesy mud, the greasy mud, that filters through your hair. -verse from poem by CPL Jack Warren Carrol, FA, WWI, in Yanks: A.E.F. Verse, p. 26

Personal cleanliness acts like a charm against all diseases, always either warding them off altogether, or greatly mitigating their severity and shortening their duration. -Customs of Service for Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers, 1865, p. 252

One night in [England, too full of beer, SSG T. P. Love] couldn’t wait to find a rest room [and] cut loose in the gutter. A couple of English bobbies picked him up for "abusing the King’s highway." We razzed him good about getting arrested for pissing on the King’s highway. -SGT Henry Giles, WWII, The G.I. Journal of Sergeant Giles, p. 81

A bath is the nearest thing to a soldier’s heart in the field. -SGT Don Robinson, WWII, News of the 45th, p. 107

Quarters in the Field

Compared to fleas, bedbugs are pets. Spread out a soldier’s blanket and see thousands of fleas hopping from an inch to a foot high, enjoying the warm rays of the sun and exercise, after a successful night with a soldier. -1SG Percival G. Lowe, Five Years a Dragoon [1849-1854], p. 136

[Sergeant Vincent Mainente] saved up empty wooden C-ration boxes, and one night he nailed them together and made a raft to float on top of the water in his foxhole. -Ernie Pyle, WWII, Brave Men, p. 254

We make the best of everything and are becoming quite ingenious in inventing all sorts of conveniences for use in our tents. -CPL (SGM and COL) Elisha Rhodes, 1861, All for the Union, p. 47

It seems like home to get into the tent again. -SGT Hamlin Coe, Civil War, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory, p. 55

Rations

Sometimes rations for several days are issued to the soldier at one time, and in such cases you should be very careful to so use the rations that they will last you the entire period. If you stuff yourself one day, or waste your rations, you will have to starve later on. -Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry of the Organized Militia and Volunteers of the United States, 1914, p. 20

Never eat heartily just before a great undertaking, because the nervous power is irresistibly drawn to the stomach to manage the food eaten, thus draining off that supply which the brain and muscles so much need. -Customs of Service for Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers, 1865, p. 250

Vinegar, moderately used, is a great health preserver. -Customs of Service for Non-Commissioned Officers and Soldiers, 1865, p. 266

[To broil fresh meat] cut in slices about one inch thick, from half as large as the hand to four times that size. Sharpen a stick or branch of convenient length- say, from two to four feet long- and weave the point of the stick through the steak several times, so that it may be readily turned over a few brisk coals or on the windward side of a small fire. Allow to brown nicely, turning frequently. -Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry of the Army of the United States, 1917, p. 37

Sleep Discipline

Soldiers have turned catnapping into an art form. They can sleep through just about anything, anywhere- standing in a foxhole, on a bumpy ride in the back of a Humvee, or in the belly of an ear-thumping CH-47 Chinook. The challenge is for leaders to develop and implement sleep plans that will recharge soldiers and still enable them to accomplish the mission. -SSG Alan Moore, "Sleep to Survive." Soldiers, Aug 1996, p. 33

Many a poor decision has been made by NCOs and commanders who went without sleep for an unnecessary period of time, putting their soldiers and the unit in jeopardy. -MSG Pamela Brockman, "Why Senior NCOs Go for MFT." NCO Journal, Summer 1993, p. 19

Rest and sleep are most important for a soldier in campaign. Keep the body rested by plenty of sleep. Do not join idle parties going to walk the streets of the nearest town at nights, nor sit up late playing cards, nor wander in native towns after dark. -Noncommissioned Officers’ Manual, 1917, p. 203

I am the tiredest man that ever lived. -SGT Hamlin Coe, Civil War, Mine Eyes Have Seen the Glory, p. 133

Always prepare your bed before dark. Level off the ground and scrape out a little hollow for your hips. Get some straw or dry grass if possible. Green grass or branches from trees are better than nothing. Sleep on your poncho. This keeps the dampness from coming up from the ground and chilling the body. Every minute spent in making a good bed means about an hour’s good rest later on. -Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry of the Army of the United States, 1917, p. 45

Self-Help for Maintaining Roads

[Tips for soldiers for self-help on road maintenance]: The primary requirement of wet-weather road maintenance is keep the road dry. If you have a shovel and a little spare time, you can go in for ditching and draining in a big way. If you haven’t, get a stick. A good stick and the heel of a boot will do a lot for a road. If you see a rut full of water, kick a hole in the low side and let it drain off. Or if you see a hatful of debris jamming a culvert, get your stick and pry it out of the way. If a ditch is flooded, punch a run-off for it.... It doesn’t sound like much but in a spirit of pure science I tried it over a couple of hundred yards of road that I had to traverse to get chow. Three times a day for a week I did what I could with a stick and my shoes to keep that stretch of road from inundation. At the end of the week it wasn’t good, exactly, but it was a hell of a lot better than the soupy stream that started where my amateur drainage project left off.

Risk Assessment

Using the risk assessment card stacks the deck in your favor when it comes to force protection. You play with a full deck and "know when to hold ’em and when to fold ’em," when it comes to mission accomplishment. You also receive powerful payoffs in the form of lives saved, increased efficiency, effectiveness, and readiness. It all adds up to a winning hand. -Jim Collins, "Force Protection- It’s in the Cards." NCO Journal, Spring 1993, p. 9

The best tool commanders and NCOs can have [in any operation] is risk assessment. Assessing risks...can be as small an issue as simply asking, "How can my soldiers get hurt, and what can I do about it?" Asking that one question and getting an answer, and applying the risk assessment principles- risk analysis and hazard control- may save a soldier’s life.... NCOs need to ask three key questions to raise [safety] awareness. These are: Who will have the next accident in my unit? What kind of accident will it be? What am I doing about it? -SGM Samuel Reynolds, "Force Protection." and "Accident Prevention FORMula." NCO Journal, Spring 1993, pp. 13, 14

The impact [of using the risk assessment card] really becomes significant when the process gets passed down to the squad level.... In my unit the accident rate dropped at least 50 percent when we began using the risk assessment card. -SGM Jim Wertman, in "Force Protection- It’s in the Cards." NCO Journal, Spring 1993, p. 9

The Army’s number one peacetime enemy is one that soldiers face every day on every street, road, and highway.... This is a war fought not with bullets but with your privately owned vehicle (POV). This war has casualties that result from recklessness, alcohol, speed, and a lack of safety belt use.... The advantage of surprise is always on the enemy’s side. Don’t expect it to wait until you’re out of town; 70 percent of accidents happen within 25 miles of home....

Training Safety

It saddens and angers me to read about young soldiers dying needlessly due to accidents that so easily could be prevented.... Analyze every situation within your area of operations. Inspect your soldiers’ work area, observe their actions and imagine the worst possible scenario. Chances are that if you can imagine a situation that might result in an accident, it will eventually happen. Then do something to correct the situation. Hammer safety consciousness into your soldiers every opportunity you get. Develop within them a sensitivity to safety hazards.... Create a safety-conscious climate in which every one of your soldiers becomes a safety inspector. -CSM Joshua Perry, "Regimental Command Sergeant Major." Military Police, Nov 1989, p. 3

Generally, there are two major causes of accidents involving new soldiers- lack of training and over-anxiety (the desire to make a good impression). Initial safety briefings along with continuous follow through and training, can help eliminate both problems. Emphasizing the "why" aspect of rules results in a more cooperative attitude. Soldiers are more inclined to follow the rules when the need is more clearly understood.... NCOs must be able to identify the accident-prone soldier- the one who’s tired, stressed out, sick, untrained, etc. This soldier is like a truck with bad brakes. -SFC Todd E. Duncan, "Supervisors and Safety." NCO Journal, Spring 1993, p. 7

Who has the most influence on safety in your unit? The safety officer? The commander? No. You do! You, the noncommissioned officer, have the single greatest chance to make safety happen in your unit.... Keep in mind that the costly shortcuts and failures to follow procedures are most likely to happen when you are not there, so make it a habit to be there. Be there. Watch. Ask questions. And don’t be there only in fair weather; it’s more likely the faults are going to occur when the weather is cold, wet, and miserable. If your troops are out working in those conditions, get out there with them. Do what you can to improve the conditions, but, above all, make your soldiers do the job safely. -SMA Glen E. Morrell, "Aviation Safety Is NCO Business." U.S. Army Aviation Digest, Jan 1986, pp. 18, 19

When you give those safety briefings...impress upon your soldiers how fragile life is. -SSG Darrin M. Adams, "Saving Lives." NCO Journal, Winter 1992, p. 22

My old CSM, Ned Devereaux, used to say to soldiers he caught doing something unsafe, "You can’t make me send you home in a coffin! Now do it right!" -MSG Miles C. Pitman, "Are We Training Soldiers to Kill Each Other?" NCO Journal, Spring 1993, p. 11

NCOs...have an alarm to protect their most valuable assets- soldiers and equipment...the "sixth sense of safety." -SFC Lydia R. Mead, "The Safety Sixth Sense." NCO Journal, Spring 1993, p. 6

The first-line leader is the key to a successful safety program because he’s the leader closest to the hands-on action and enforces the safety standards.... Human error causes about 80 percent of our accidents. Soldiers make mistakes that lead to injury or death for many reasons, but the most common reason for human-error accidents is lack of discipline. Too many times, soldiers choose not to follow rules, regulations, standards, or laws. When a leader accepts below-standard performance, he lowers the standard. Simultaneously, when a leader doesn’t enforce established standards, the likelihood of an accident’s occurring increases. -CSM James C. McKinney, "First-Line Leaders and Safety Standards." Field Artillery, Dec 1993, p. 5