Army & Navy – OPERATIONS: Advice to Warriors

“Most of you at some time or other have amused your civilian friends by telling them that there are always two ways of doing a thing—the right way and the Army way. Unfortunately this may be true in many cases, but the brass hats are trying in their muddling way to find the right way. During every campaign there are observers snooping around trying to find out what is wrong—what works—and why. They talk” with privates, corporals and sergeants, who cuss about this & that, but quite often come up with a suggestion which even a brass hat can see is right.” Thousands of soldiers in Major General Charles H. Corlett’s command, arriving in the Aleutians for the occupation of Kiska, blinked with amazement at getting such apparently meek & modest talk from an Army publication. Reading on in the special 50-page pamphlet entitled Soldiers’ Manual (and subtitled Every Man His Own Valet—Every Foxhole a Suite at the Waldorf}, they found some of the best common-sense advice yet gathered for men in this war.

Author of the manual is Captain Roy L. Atteberry, a former enlisted man from Dallas, who got an appointment to West Point, was graduated in 1941. Captain Atteberry remembered all he had learned in his year in Alaska, carefully analyzed all the reports of what went wrong in Attu, then wrote his handbook. Some conclusions: Warriors’ Habits. “For some reason it seems that mud and water and war always go together, so since the days of the Axe, stone, M I, the doughfoot has always had a rough time with his wet feet.

Start now to get your feet ready for the day when you come out of a landing boat looking for something to shoot. Get rid of athlete’s foot now. . . . Whenever possible (in combat) remove your shoe pacs and massage your feet. This should be done every twelve hours. . . . Spare socks are your most valuable piece of extra clothing. Change to dry socks whenever possible, and if they are not available wring out your wet socks before putting them back on.

>”Pick your soap for its lathering qualities, not its smell—nobody is going to worry about your B.O. until you get back to the States.

> “Brush your teeth—it improves your outlook on life.

> “A daily bowel movement is important. . . . Carry one pad of toilet paper in your helmet where it is handy and will keep dry. Use it sparingly.

Warriors’ Food. “Soldiers who have been in battle say you won’t be hungry at first. You will be too scared and nervous, but that will wear off. After the first couple of days you will be very hungry, and if you have not forced yourself to eat during the initial excitement you will be so weak that a good meal may not bring you back in shape.

> “Don’t eat field rations aboard ship. The ship chow may seem’ bad, but you ain’t seen nothing yet.

> “Don’t eat just what you like; EAT IT ALL. . . . Try to eat the biscuits with the egg, meat or cheese. They won’t taste as bad that way.

> “You will have a tendency to neglect drinking sufficient water on the theory that perhaps you are absorbing enough of the damn stuff through the pores of your skin. This theory is not borne out by the best scientific thought. . . .

> “The [chocolate] D Ration is your last resort—your iron ration. It is so full of energy that it is practically musclebound. If you eat it fast—as you would a Hershey bar—you may have a bad bellyache, heartburn or indigestion.

Warriors’ Weapons. “All ordnance materiel will rust to beat hell if constant care is not taken to prevent it.

> “Don’t leave your weapon behind if you are slightly wounded. Keep it as long as you can carry it.

> “Use captured or abandoned enemy weapons whenever possible and practical.

Weapons operate about the same in any language. Our soldiers have become quite proficient with the Jap knee mortar. The War Department might put out a silver qualification badge on it. Be careful of booby traps left around abandoned enemy weapons.

> “Don’t start loading yourself with enemy souvenirs. Some soldiers get the collector’s bug and just can’t pass up an enemy position without packing off everything but the hole.

> “Every man wearing one of our helmets may not be a friend. Check carefully before letting him get close to you. Let no person get within knife range—unless you are going to use your knife.

> “Watch the enemy carefully when they offer to surrender.

> “When you mop up a dugout, be sure to throw your grenades fully inside. There may be an inner wall to give additional protection. Do not enter tunnels; cave in the tunnel entrance with a grenade.” Warriors’ Wounds. “When you realize that you are hit, try to remain calm and find out what has happened. . . . Most men wounded in battle, especially the serious cases, feel very little pain.

> “If your wound is serious, you must work fast and do as much as possible for yourself before the state of shock sets in. … If a large blood vessel on an arm or leg is cut, particularly if it is spurting blood, put a tourniquet between the wound and the heart immediately. … If you can get to your bedroll or any garment, place it over yourself. . . . Keeping your head lower than the rest of your body will also help.

> “Bleeding from belly, chest and head wounds obviously cannot be stopped with a tourniquet. Use your sulfa drugs . . . and try to stop the bleeding with a tight bandage. Now keep still and wait for the aid men. They’re good Joes.”