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CHAPTER XV IN UNIFORM
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“Um! Oh! Smell that!” cried Bob, as he hurried out in answer to the first mess call of the day. “Bacon, or I’m a sinner!”

Breakfast call was sounded at 6:15 and half an hour was allowed for it.

As soon as the mess call had sounded each man, acting1 under the directions of his squad2 leader, got his mess kit3, consisting of plate, cup, knife, fork and spoon. Later the boys needed no instructions in producing these implements4 of “warfare.”

The signal being given, they marched to the kitchen where there was dished out to each one what was to be the first meal of the day. This proved to be steamed rice and milk, bacon, scrambled6 eggs, fried potatoes, buttered toast, bread and coffee.

With this as a starter the boys marched into the mess hall and sat down at long tables to eat.

“How goes it, Chunky?” asked Ned, as he noticed his stout7 chum beginning to eat.

[118]

“Tell you better when I’ve had my second or third helping,” was the somewhat mumbled8 reply.

“Talk it out, Chunky,” advised Jerry. “Don’t scramble5 your reply; leave that to the eggs you’re sailing into.”

“Huh, I’ll sail clear through these, and then some.”

“Can you have as much as you like?” asked a rather timid lad next to Ned.

“All you want, son, and more,” answered the squad leader, who was walking about, and who had overheard the question.

As each one finished he took his mess kit down to the end of the hall, where there was a kettle of scalding water, and washed his cutlery and dishes. There are no official dishwashers in the army, save those who serve in the officer’s mess.

“Well, do you feel better?” asked Ned, as he and Jerry filed out with Bob.

“Lots,” was the answer. “What call’s that?” he inquired, as another bugle9 note blared out.

“Sick call and fatigue,” answered Jerry, who was learning the army orders and regulations.

This call came at 6:45 and gave opportunity for such as were physically10 disabled in any way to escape drill for the day. If a man is not feeling physically fit in the morning he so reports to his first sergeant11, who places the name on a list. Then, when the proper call comes, and all who are[119] in need of medical attention are collected, an officer marches them to an infirmary.

Of course, this applies only to those slightly “under the weather.” In case of a very ill recruit the doctor goes to him, instead of having him go to the medical man. If a man is taken ill, or feels the need of medical attention at any time other than the official sick call, an officer is detailed12 to take him to the doctor, or the doctor comes to him, at any hour it may be necessary.

Fortunately there were very few who responded to sick call the first morning in Camp Dixton. When it was over, at 6:50 o’clock, came the first call for the day’s drill. Five minutes later came the assembly, which meant that every man, not excused, must be in line. Then the drill began. It was to last an hour.

There were six drills during the day (or were at Camp Dixton), besides guard-mount in the late afternoon. Between the drills came dinner, of course. But the new soldiers were impressed with the drills. There were so many of them, and when there was no drill there was a school of instruction.

Drills, or the assembly calls for them, came at the following hours: 8:15, 9:30, 10:45, 1:00, and 2:15. At 3:30 came a school of instruction, which lasted an hour. There was guard-mount, too, which is another sort of drill, at 5:00. This[120] lasted half an hour, and mess call for supper sounded shortly after 5:30, followed by retreat, meaning that the main part of the day was over.

From supper time till the call to quarters, which sounded at 9 P.M., the recruit was allowed to do about as he pleased, though sometimes there was instruction in the evening. The call to quarters was the signal for all lights to be out in the squad room, though it was not necessary for all the soldiers to be there at that hour. They were, however, expected to be there at ten o’clock when taps were sounded, this being a bugle call for all lights to be out, and every one in bed, except the officers and sentries13.

“Well, I don’t see where we’re going to have an awful lot of time to scrabble around and have fun,” said Bob, in a half-growling15 tone, as he looked over the printed list of the camp schedule. “We have from four-thirty to five-forty-five with nothing to do, if we’re not in the guard-mount stunt16, and then we have time after supper. But that isn’t much.”

“Say, what do you think you’re on—a vacation?” asked Jerry.

“Well, no, not exactly,” answered Bob slowly.

“Not exactly! I should say not! Most emphatically—not! You’re here, and so we all are, to do our duty and beat the Germans, and if it takes all day I’m willing!” went on Jerry.

[121]

As has been mentioned there are many kinds of drills in the army, but the new recruits, such as Ned, Bob, and Jerry, found, according to their squad leader, that the physical drill was the most important one for them at first. Later on would come rifle drill, drill in the trenches17, bayonet practice, machine gun drill, rushes with hand grenades and so on. There seemed to the boys to be no end to it.

The boys of course, began at the very bottom to learn about army work, and one of the first things they were told was in regard to different formations, or units. The squad is the smallest unit of the infantry18, to which branch of the service the three chums were attached. A squad consists of eight men, seven privates and a leader, who is, generally, a corporal. This squad is the foundation of the army, and the members of it generally stay together, sleeping, eating and fighting in unison19 with other squads20.

After the squad comes the platoon, which is made up of from two to six squads, and the men are in charge of a lieutenant21 with a couple of non-commissioned officers to help him. Four platoons make a company, and this is in charge of a captain, with two lieutenants22 to aid him.

The battalion23 of four companies comes next and a major commands a battalion, while three battalions24 usually make up a regiment25, which is[122] commanded by a colonel, with a number of staff officers to advise and aid him. It takes two regiments26 of infantry to make a brigade, which is in charge of a brigadier general. Next comes a division, which is the largest group in the army, and is made up in various ways, from infantry and artillery27 and machine gun battalions.

“I wonder what’s up?” said Ned, as he walked with his chums to the designated place. None of them was in uniform, as yet. That would come later.

“What do you mean—up?” asked Jerry.

“I mean it looks as though we were going to listen to a speech,” went on Ned.

And this was just what was going to happen. The captain of the company to which they were temporarily assigned, had gathered the recruits about him.

“I want to tell you a few things before we begin the physical drill,” he said, “so you will appreciate the importance of it. If I did not, you might think that some of it was of little use. But I want to say that it all has a value that has been tried and proved.

“You know the army that is to help whip Germany is just like a big machine. You are all parts in that machine, and every part, no matter how small, must work in perfect unison with every other part, or there will be failure. To begin[123] with, you must be physically fit to stand much hard work, and this drill is to get you in good condition.

“Some of the motions you are made to go through may seem foolish to you, but they are all for some good purpose. You have muscles which, ordinarily, you seldom use. It is to bring out these muscles, and make them fit for service, that certain motions and practice are necessary. You’ll be surprised on finding what a little exercise will do for certain weak and flabby muscles that you have. They will be waked up and made to do their duty.”

And the boys found, before the day was over, that their captain spoke28 the truth, and with a knowledge that could not be questioned.

“Oh, look who’s here,” said Bob to Ned in a low voice, as they had a little respite29 from twisting and turning and stooping and rising.

“Who?” asked Ned.

“That Pug Kennedy we had the row with in the train. They’re going to put him in our squad, I’m afraid.”

“That’s bad,” said Jerry. “But still it won’t do to kick. This is only temporary, and he may be changed, or we may. Don’t give up the ship now.”

Pug Kennedy was, indeed, put in the squad with[124] the three Cresville friends, and his unpleasant face grinned at them as the drill went on.

Pug Kennedy lived up to his reputation. He was a “scrapper,” and he did little but growl14 at every new order. He did not see any reason for this, nor sense in that, and only the fact that he did his growling in a low voice saved him from being disciplined. The officers did not hear him.

It was three or four days after the arrival of Ned, Bob, and Jerry at Camp Dixton that Bob came hurrying up to his chums with a pleased look on his face.

“What is it, Chunky?” asked Ned. “Have you managed to squeeze another mess call into the day’s program?”

“No. But we’re going to get into uniforms to-day. I just heard our captain say so,” answered the stout lad. “Now we’ll look like real soldiers!”

Bob was right. A few minutes later came the call for the recruits to line up and proceed to the quartermaster’s department to be measured for uniforms.

“Now this is something like!” exclaimed Bob.

点击收听单词发音收听单词发音  

1 acting czRzoc     
n.演戏,行为,假装;adj.代理的,临时的,演出用的
参考例句:
  • Ignore her,she's just acting.别理她,她只是假装的。
  • During the seventies,her acting career was in eclipse.在七十年代,她的表演生涯黯然失色。
2 squad 4G1zq     
n.班,小队,小团体;vt.把…编成班或小组
参考例句:
  • The squad leader ordered the men to mark time.班长命令战士们原地踏步。
  • A squad is the smallest unit in an army.班是军队的最小构成单位。
3 kit D2Rxp     
n.用具包,成套工具;随身携带物
参考例句:
  • The kit consisted of about twenty cosmetic items.整套工具包括大约20种化妆用品。
  • The captain wants to inspect your kit.船长想检查你的行装。
4 implements 37371cb8af481bf82a7ea3324d81affc     
n.工具( implement的名词复数 );家具;手段;[法律]履行(契约等)v.实现( implement的第三人称单数 );执行;贯彻;使生效
参考例句:
  • Primitive man hunted wild animals with crude stone implements. 原始社会的人用粗糙的石器猎取野兽。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • They ordered quantities of farm implements. 他们订购了大量农具。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
5 scramble JDwzg     
v.爬行,攀爬,杂乱蔓延,碎片,片段,废料
参考例句:
  • He broke his leg in his scramble down the wall.他爬墙摔断了腿。
  • It was a long scramble to the top of the hill.到山顶须要爬登一段长路。
6 scrambled 2e4a1c533c25a82f8e80e696225a73f2     
v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 );攀登;争夺;(军事飞机)紧急起飞
参考例句:
  • Each scrambled for the football at the football ground. 足球场上你争我夺。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • He scrambled awkwardly to his feet. 他笨拙地爬起身来。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 mumbled 3855fd60b1f055fa928ebec8bcf3f539     
含糊地说某事,叽咕,咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He mumbled something to me which I did not quite catch. 他对我叽咕了几句话,可我没太听清楚。
  • George mumbled incoherently to himself. 乔治语无伦次地喃喃自语。
9 bugle RSFy3     
n.军号,号角,喇叭;v.吹号,吹号召集
参考例句:
  • When he heard the bugle call, he caught up his gun and dashed out.他一听到军号声就抓起枪冲了出去。
  • As the bugle sounded we ran to the sports ground and fell in.军号一响,我们就跑到运动场集合站队。
10 physically iNix5     
adj.物质上,体格上,身体上,按自然规律
参考例句:
  • He was out of sorts physically,as well as disordered mentally.他浑身不舒服,心绪也很乱。
  • Every time I think about it I feel physically sick.一想起那件事我就感到极恶心。
11 sergeant REQzz     
n.警官,中士
参考例句:
  • His elder brother is a sergeant.他哥哥是个警官。
  • How many stripes are there on the sleeve of a sergeant?陆军中士的袖子上有多少条纹?
12 detailed xuNzms     
adj.详细的,详尽的,极注意细节的,完全的
参考例句:
  • He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
  • A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。
13 sentries abf2b0a58d9af441f9cfde2e380ae112     
哨兵,步兵( sentry的名词复数 )
参考例句:
  • We posted sentries at the gates of the camp. 我们在军营的大门口布置哨兵。
  • We were guarded by sentries against surprise attack. 我们由哨兵守卫,以免遭受突袭。
14 growl VeHzE     
v.(狗等)嗥叫,(炮等)轰鸣;n.嗥叫,轰鸣
参考例句:
  • The dog was biting,growling and wagging its tail.那条狗在一边撕咬一边低声吼叫,尾巴也跟着摇摆。
  • The car growls along rutted streets.汽车在车辙纵横的街上一路轰鸣。
15 growling growling     
n.吠声, 咆哮声 v.怒吠, 咆哮, 吼
参考例句:
  • We heard thunder growling in the distance. 我们听见远处有隆隆雷声。
  • The lay about the deck growling together in talk. 他们在甲板上到处游荡,聚集在一起发牢骚。
16 stunt otxwC     
n.惊人表演,绝技,特技;vt.阻碍...发育,妨碍...生长
参考例句:
  • Lack of the right food may stunt growth.缺乏适当的食物会阻碍发育。
  • Right up there is where the big stunt is taking place.那边将会有惊人的表演。
17 trenches ed0fcecda36d9eed25f5db569f03502d     
深沟,地沟( trench的名词复数 ); 战壕
参考例句:
  • life in the trenches 第一次世界大战期间的战壕生活
  • The troops stormed the enemy's trenches and fanned out across the fields. 部队猛攻敌人的战壕,并在田野上呈扇形散开。
18 infantry CbLzf     
n.[总称]步兵(部队)
参考例句:
  • The infantry were equipped with flame throwers.步兵都装备有喷火器。
  • We have less infantry than the enemy.我们的步兵比敌人少。
19 unison gKCzB     
n.步调一致,行动一致
参考例句:
  • The governments acted in unison to combat terrorism.这些国家的政府一致行动对付恐怖主义。
  • My feelings are in unison with yours.我的感情与你的感情是一致的。
20 squads 8619d441bfe4eb21115575957da0ba3e     
n.(军队中的)班( squad的名词复数 );(暗杀)小组;体育运动的运动(代表)队;(对付某类犯罪活动的)警察队伍
参考例句:
  • Anti-riot squads were called out to deal with the situation. 防暴队奉命出动以对付这一局势。 来自辞典例句
  • Three squads constitute a platoon. 三个班组成一个排。 来自辞典例句
21 lieutenant X3GyG     
n.陆军中尉,海军上尉;代理官员,副职官员
参考例句:
  • He was promoted to be a lieutenant in the army.他被提升为陆军中尉。
  • He prevailed on the lieutenant to send in a short note.他说动那个副官,递上了一张简短的便条进去。
22 lieutenants dc8c445866371477a093185d360992d9     
n.陆军中尉( lieutenant的名词复数 );副职官员;空军;仅低于…官阶的官员
参考例句:
  • In the army, lieutenants are subordinate to captains. 在陆军中,中尉是上尉的下级。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Lieutenants now cap at 1.5 from 1. Recon at 1. 中尉现在由1人口增加的1.5人口。侦查小组成员为1人口。 来自互联网
23 battalion hu0zN     
n.营;部队;大队(的人)
参考例句:
  • The town was garrisoned by a battalion.该镇由一营士兵驻守。
  • At the end of the drill parade,the battalion fell out.操练之后,队伍解散了。
24 battalions 35cfaa84044db717b460d0ff39a7c1bf     
n.(陆军的)一营(大约有一千兵士)( battalion的名词复数 );协同作战的部队;军队;(组织在一起工作的)队伍
参考例句:
  • God is always on the side of the strongest battalions. 上帝总是帮助强者。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
  • Two battalions were disposed for an attack on the air base. 配置两个营的兵力进攻空军基地。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
25 regiment JATzZ     
n.团,多数,管理;v.组织,编成团,统制
参考例句:
  • As he hated army life,he decide to desert his regiment.因为他嫌恶军队生活,所以他决心背弃自己所在的那个团。
  • They reformed a division into a regiment.他们将一个师整编成为一个团。
26 regiments 874816ecea99051da3ed7fa13d5fe861     
(军队的)团( regiment的名词复数 ); 大量的人或物
参考例句:
  • The three regiments are all under the command of you. 这三个团全归你节制。
  • The town was garrisoned with two regiments. 该镇有两团士兵驻守。
27 artillery 5vmzA     
n.(军)火炮,大炮;炮兵(部队)
参考例句:
  • This is a heavy artillery piece.这是一门重炮。
  • The artillery has more firepower than the infantry.炮兵火力比步兵大。
28 spoke XryyC     
n.(车轮的)辐条;轮辐;破坏某人的计划;阻挠某人的行动 v.讲,谈(speak的过去式);说;演说;从某种观点来说
参考例句:
  • They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
  • The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。
29 respite BWaxa     
n.休息,中止,暂缓
参考例句:
  • She was interrogated without respite for twenty-four hours.她被不间断地审问了二十四小时。
  • Devaluation would only give the economy a brief respite.贬值只能让经济得到暂时的缓解。


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