From the Chief of Infantry - National Infantry Association

Spring 2005
OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE NATIONAL INFANTRY ASSOCIATION
NONPROFIT ORG.
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Marietta, GA
PERMIT NO. 74
www.infantryassn.com

NATIONAL INFANTRY
ASSOCIATION OFFICERS
President
MG (Ret) Jerry A. White
Secretary/Treasurer
LTC (Ret) Mac Plummer
Vice Presidents
MG (Ret) Warren G. Lawson
COL (Ret) Jose Feliciano
COL (Ret) Ray Kauffman
COL (Ret) Gary Jones
CSM (Ret) David Libersat
CSM (Ret) Eddie Roberts
Directors
MG (Ret) William B. Steele
COL (Ret) Timothy D. Ringgold
COL (Ret) Robert B. Simpson
CSM (Ret) George R. Monk
Mr. Jim Irvin
Mr. Paul Voorhees
Mr. Ben Williams
Ex-Officio
BG(P) Benjamin C. Freakley
Staff Judge Advocate
COL (Ret) Bob Poydasheff
NIA STAFF
Executive Director
COL (Ret) Richard Nurnberg
Programs and Awards Director
Stephanie Seffernick
Editor
Doraine Bennett
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Managing Editor: COL (Ret) Richard A. Nurnberg;
Editor: Doraine Bennett.
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CONTENTS
★ Feature ★
U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit: What Can They Do For You?..........................................8
From Casing to Clip..........................................................................................................9
★ Articles ★
The Combat Infantryman’s Badge: A Cherished Emblem ..................................................5
From PEO Soldier: Integrated Sites—A Leap Ahead ......................................................14
Infantry Hero: CPL Aaron “Harry” Yamin........................................................................16
History of the Infantry Branch Insignia ..........................................................................18
★ Departments ★
Message from the President and Executive Director ..........................................................4
Notes from the Chief of Infantry – Modularity ................................................................6
Museum Update..............................................................................................................15
News and Awards............................................................................................................19
Letters
to the Editor
Dear Editor:
I read the article about the proposed rifle, the XM8. The characteristics being
evaluated reminded me of my experience with the M-14 in the 1960s. While a bit
heavy, it performed solidly, accurately and with plenty of power. The reliability of its
action certainly is something that should be emulated in the replacement for the
M-16. I’d love to see if I could fire “expert” with the XM8 should some veterans be
included in an evaluative test firing at Fort Benning. A bit unorthodox, but such a
test could make useful comparisons.
Sincerely,
John R. Carr
Call for Submissions
Do you have an opinion concerning one of the stories in this issue?
We would like to print your responses in our Letters to the Editor column.
Have you researched a topic that is of interest to Infantry soldiers?
Submit it to us as an article for the Bugler. Do you have personal
experiences or valuable lessons learned that would benefit other
readers? Let us be your vehicle for delivering those thoughts. Send your
submissions to dbennett@infantryassn.com.
www.infantryassn.com 3

4
MESSAGES
From the President and the Executive Director
Again, as it has been for the
past 230 years, our great
Infantry soldiers stand toe-totoe
with the enemies of our
nation and alongside those
nations in search of democracy
around the world. In IRAQ and
Afghanistan, the Infantryman is
the vanguard for freedom and
MG (Ret) Jerry A. White the hope of the oppressed. The
recent successful elections in
Iraq would not have been possible without the grunt who once
more proved that he owns the last 100 yards of the fight. It has
been this way since the Revolutionary War and will be this way as
long as there are those who attempt to impose their will on others.
Over the years many of us have questioned what has made our
Infantry soldiers so special. Why do these young men accomplish
what many believe are nearly impossible feats of commitment and
bravery? It was not uncommon during the Civil War for young
Infantry soldiers to risk their lives time and time again to save their
buddy or to accomplish what would seem to be an impossible feat.
In every war since then, these acts of heroism have been
commonplace. I am not sure we have the answer, even those of us
who have led these brave Americans soldiers in both peace and
war. But, we do understand that America is a value-based nation,
and the notion of duty, honor and country are instilled in each of
us at a very early age — the spirit of don’t tread on me or my flag is
ever present.
However, none of this would be possible without proper
training. Our young Infantrymen are the best-trained (and
equipped) soldiers in the world and this is a combat multiplier.
Fort Benning stands as the Mecca for preparing young men to do
what this nation expects of them. From initial entry training
through all of the courses taught there the standards are constant
— train to fight and train to win. My hat goes off to the great officer
and NCO trainers who are responsible for this world-class
accomplishment. They are the unsung heroes who make winning
the last 100 yards of the fight possible.
Those of us who have the privilege of continuing our
professional association with the Infantry and Fort Benning through
the National Infantry Association want to express our deepest
appreciation to the great Infantrymen who today stand in harm’s
way as well as those who are preparing these young Americans to
protect the freedoms we all enjoy. One team — one fight!!
HOOAH!
We often say that chapters are
the lifeblood of the National
Infantry Association (NIA),
because their activities not only
encourage people at their
locations to join, but promote
the name of the Association and
the reputation of the branch.
That is why we refund 25% of
COL (Ret) Richard Nurnberg
quarterly membership dues to
active chapters that submit
quarterly meeting minutes.
We have some wonderful recent examples of such activities: An
Infantry Ball by the West Point Chapter to celebrate the branching
of the cadets there; an “Endurathon” by The Professionals Chapter
at Fort Knox (about which you will read more in the next issue),
supported by the Chief of Armor; and the reactivation and a
multiple Order of St. Maurice presentation by the Pegasus Chapter
of the First Cavalry Division in Iraq. I’m sure there are other equally
impressive examples, too many to list them all here.
The point is that the NIA currently has 85 chartered chapters,
of which only 41 are in an active status. But many of our members
are at locations where there are inactive chapters or where chapters
are in an active status but conduct no activities. If you are among
these members, I ask you to consider helping to reactivate and/or
reinvigorate your chapter. You will
find that you will get more out of
your membership in the
Association, but both the NIA and
the Infantry will also benefit.
The NIA has had a new silk
Infantry necktie (pictured at right)
designed and manufactured, and it
is available through the
merchandise link on our website,
along with other fine items. Please
check out the NIA merchandise
shown there.
Finally, as always, I ask your
help in increasing our membership,
and in finding interesting new
material to print in our publication.
We should all be proud of the role
the Infantry has played in securing
freedom and the right to vote for
Iraqis, Afghans and others around
the world — including our own
American citizens.

The Combat Infantryman’s
Badge: A Cherished Emblem
By Robert B. Simpson
It had not been a good war so far. The nation, still mired in the
Depression and addicted to its isolationist tendencies, had been jolted
into a war on opposite sides of the world that it was utterly unprepared
to fight. Trying desperately to build its military forces almost from
scratch and mobilize its industrial capacity from near idle to warp
speed, while producing positive results in battles across the globe with
two powerful enemies, had required all the country’s strength. Now, in
1943, the astounding cost of fighting the worldwide conflict was
beginning to be fully felt. And the end seemed to be nowhere in sight.
In just less than two years of war, America had seen the nighttime
along its Eastern seaboard illuminated by the light of ships set ablaze by
marauding German U-boats. It had read with pain the mounting lists of
its youth killed or maimed in air, ground and naval operations
conducted in every quarter of the globe.
In the China-Burma-India theater, sparse groups of Americans,
allied with British, Australians and Chinese, fought the Japanese under
primitive, grueling conditions. In North Africa, II Corps, after a
humiliating defeat by Rommel’s German forces at Kasserine Pass, had
recovered and performed creditably. Soon after, Patton’s American and
Montgomery’s British forces took Sicily.
In the Pacific, MacArthur had begun his torturous island-hopping
course out of Australia toward the Philippines and Japan. This was
Infantry warfare at its most brutal, as Japanese soldiers defended the
jungle-clad islands that stood between the South Pacific and Japan.
It was clear at this point that large numbers of well-trained
Infantrymen would be needed to fight this war that had not even begun
to reach its peak of activity, and the Army was already woefully short of
Infantry soldiers and appeared likely to remain so. Young men were not
breaking down doors trying to get into the Infantry.
The Chief of Staff of the Army, GEN George C. Marshall, had
served as an Infantryman in France in World War I. He had been the
Assistant Commandant of the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga. He
understood and had a special affection for Infantrymen. Thus, even
more than other senior leaders might have been, he was extremely
receptive to anything that would, without denigrating other arms and
services, enhance and honor the harsh and too often deadly existence of
the combat Infantryman, the only soldier whose unvarying job it is to
seize and hold terrain by closing with and destroying the enemy in
close combat.
From the Chief of Infantry
At the same time, he was well aware that what these soldiers had
been called upon to do so far in the war had barely scratched the
surface; they would be called upon to do far more for far longer periods
before this war finally ground to a successful conclusion.
By mid-1943, it was clear that the Infantry, although a small
portion of the entire Army, was doing 70 percent of the fighting and
dying. A survey showed, not surprisingly in such circumstances, that
the Infantry was by far the least popular of all the branches of the Army.
Very few men were eager to become a part of an organization that not
only provided a very strong possibility of losing one’s life, but that
offered little but misery in the process.
Creature comforts for Infantrymen on the battlefield ranged from
few to none. And perhaps worst of all, the Infantrymen felt
unappreciated. Other branches seemed to get publicity and glory, if
there was any, while the unsung Infantrymen lived miserably and
died violently.
Out of this background of sacrifice and death, with a consciousness
of the desperate need for more fighters, came the birth of a badge that
would be awarded exclusively to Infantrymen who had fought against
an armed enemy in ground combat.
LG Lesley J. McNair pushed the idea. Marshall was an easy sell.
Marshall’s civilian boss, Secretary of War Henry Stinson, also was
enthusiastic. Stinson, who had served as an officer in World War I and
much preferred the title of “Colonel” to that of “Mr. Secretary,” was
eager to see combat Infantrymen, who did so much of the dirty work
and got so little recognition, be singled out for this commendation.
The Combat Infantryman’s Badge (CIB) and its sibling, the Expert
Infantryman’s Badge (EIB), were born together in October 1943. But it
quickly became obvious that the EIB, significant though it was in
denoting a high level of skill and proficiency, would never achieve the
mystique of the CIB.
The silver musket on a field of Infantry blue, partially surrounded
by a silver wreath of laurel leaves, became a cherished emblem, a sign
to the outside world that the wearer is a member of a band of brothers
unlike any other. Few would casually choose to learn what must be
learned, to live the life that must be lived, and to undergo the extreme
stress and danger that must be undergone to join this brotherhood. Yet
many Infantrymen will admit, if only to themselves, that once having
earned the CIB, they would surrender any other form of recognition
before they would willingly part with this distinguished decoration.
While the regulations governing the award of the CIB have been
modified several times over the years, the overall thrust remains
remarkably close to the original. The award can be made only to
enlisted soldiers and warrant officers with an Infantry or Special Forces
MOS, or Infantry or Special Forces officers in the grade of colonel or
below. The recipient of the award also must be assigned or attached to
an element of a brigade/regiment or a unit of smaller size, which is
actively engaged against an enemy.
From time to time, an effort springs up to dilute the prestige of this
special emblem by awarding it to soldiers who are not Infantrymen
continued on page 7
www.infantryassn.com 5

6
Modularity
NECESSITY FOR SURVIVAL
By BG(P) Benjamin C. Freakley,
Chief of Infantry
The ongoing transformation in the Army
is part of an evolutionary process that all
armies must undergo if they — and the
nations they serve — are to survive.
History is full of examples where the
nation that adapted the fastest to change
won the war.
Prior to America’s entry into World War I, we had to transform a
108,000-man army of regulars and national guardsmen into what
would be a two million-man expeditionary force. At the same time
we had to train the force in the techniques of 20th century warfare,
which the Army did by studying the tactics and techniques, as well
as the successes and failures, of our allies and our enemies.
The lessons of the World War I were not forgotten. Since then
the Army has continually evolved new tactics, techniques, procedures
and organizations to better respond to potential or current threats.
Today’s transformation, which includes reorganization into a modular
force, is a continuation of that process.
We are a nation at war. The global war on terrorism has revealed
the diversity and resourcefulness of the enemy. To anticipate and
counter such an enemy, we must be able to deploy lethal, effective,
sustainable units with the right capabilities anywhere in the world,
and we must be able to do it even faster than we have in the past.
The division-based organizations of our earlier force projection have
required us to deploy sometimes hastily task-organized brigadesized
units — that may or may not have extensively trained together
— for the missions they were about to undertake.
We are moving towards being a brigade-based tactical fighting
organization, which is to some extent analogous — but not identical
— to the Army’s earlier separate brigades with which we are familiar.
Each had its own mix of combat, combat support and combat
service support elements that enabled it to fight and sustain itself.
The modular brigade combat team (BCT) is designed to be a
complete, combat-ready organization that receives additional task
organized capabilities as needed, in country. Some of the five types
of supporting brigades (Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target
Acquisition; Aviation; Sustainment; Fires; and Maneuver
Enhancement) have relatively fixed organizations while others have
core command and control (C2) and support capabilities that are
augmented by specialized battalions or companies based on mission
analysis. All are able to assimilate additional task-organized elements
as needed.
Joint capabilities are absolutely essential to the success of
modularity, and the BCT organizational design has been built to
capitalize on this through C2 networks, intelligence gathering
capabilities and better integration of tactical air control parties
(TACP). The new modular organizations provide a mix of land
combat power that is task organized for any combination of offensive,
defensive, stability or support operations as part of a joint campaign.
Success in tactical operations is based upon securing or retaining the
initiative and exercising it aggressively to defeat the enemy. A core
concept for the modular force is to organize, train, deploy and fight as a
combined arms team that is inherently joint.
The division, corps and Army headquarters are being condensed into
two more flexible headquarters, currently called the UEx and UEy. The
UEx has no fixed organizational structure outside of its requirements to
man and equip the command posts, and provide support for the
commander. The UEx gives up some of the tactical warfighting
responsibilities to the BCTs, while gaining some Corps responsibilities.
BCTs are associated with a home station UEx for training,
deployment and reach back, and can deploy with this UEx as the higher
headquarters for combat. However, they are just as likely to deploy with
BCTs and supporting brigades from various locations. In the cases where
BCTs deploy separately from their home station UEx they are task
organized to a UEx or JTF HQs designated for a given area of operations,
based on a regional combatant commander’s METT-TC analysis.
The Army is moving from multiple types of ground maneuver
brigades to just three Tables of Organization and Equipment (TOE)
organizations: the Stryker BCT (SBCT), the Infantry BCT (IBCT) and the
Heavy BCT (HBCT). While we will not fully discuss the details of the
significant changes we are seeing within the Heavy and Infantry BCTs in
this note, it is important to highlight some of the organic combat, combat
support and combat service support capabilities.
These units no longer are task organized to a brigade; they are
assigned to the BCT. (Task organization still occurs, both within and from
outside the BCT; however, this is not as common as it was before the
transformation.) The modular brigade yields big benefits in teamwork,
cohesion and effectiveness, but requires additional focus and effort in
individual, crew and small-unit collective training. As an example, an air
assault brigade today has roughly
60 Military Occupational
Specialties (MOS) in it, while the We are going
IBCT has more than 100.
through a significant
More is to be expected of our
leaders! I recognize that to support change across the
this we at the home of the Infantry entire Army, not
must develop better training
simply within the
methodologies, both within the
institution and for home station, Infantry. Our entire
to include distance learning and structure of systems
Mobile Training Teams.
is being reevaluated
Although organized with
different equipment and MOSs, to determine how we
the two BCTs look essentially the can better support
same. Each has a staff with
the warfighter.
increased functional capability

and a deputy commanding officer (DCO). Each has a brigade support
battalion (3 companies plus an HHC), a Fires Battalion (2x8 105 or
155), a reconnaissance battalion or squadron (3 companies/troops) and
two maneuver battalions. (A third maneuver battalion is projected in
the future.)
The Infantry battalion consists of three rifle companies, a weapons
company and an HHC. The combined arms battalion has two armor, two
Bradley, one engineer and an HHC. Each maneuver battalion also has a
10-man sniper section within its HHC. Each of these battalions has a
dedicated forward support company (transportation and maintenance),
which, although assigned to the BSB, will habitually train, deploy and
fight with a specific battalion.
The two BCTs also have a new organization called the brigade troops
battalion (BTB). The BTB has separate companies and platoons assigned
to it for administrative and logistics support, plus individual and
collective training responsibilities. Sub units include the battalion HHC,
MI Company, Network Company, MP Platoon and Chemical Platoon. The
IBCT BTB also has an organic Engineer Company. All assets within the
BTB (minus the BTB HHC) provide support to the BCT; however, the
BTB commander and staff give the BCT commander options on how he
organizes the battlefield.
A core function of the BTB is to provide logistical support to any
element of the BCT that is not task organized to a BCT battalion. The
BTB also assumes other roles, such as monitoring assigned areas of
operation, conducting security operations if task organized with
additional combat power, co-locating with the main command post or
acting as an alternate CP, to name a few.
The HBCT has a three-troop reconnaissance squadron (M3/HMMWV
mix) and the IBCT has a three-company reconnaissance battalion
(HMMWV, mounted and dismounted capability). This gives the BCT
Commander a tremendous capability to conduct intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance missions, and reflects the shift of some of the old
division capabilities to the BCT.
We see the threat sooner and more precisely from units organic to the
BCT. When coupled with higher joint and national intelligence feeds, we
can verify, synchronize efforts and, if required, engage the enemy more
quickly with internal, UEx, or joint assets. Additionally, we have
redundant means to get accurate battle damage assessment. The
capability for fast and accurate sensor-to-shooter information sharing is
better enabled by the modular design.
The BCT staff now contains assigned expertise that in the past was
nonexistent or had to be task organized to the brigade. Examples include
the addition of MP, Civil Affairs, PSYOP, PA and IO personnel, plus the
staff has formalized cells to perform functions that in the past were ad
hoc, at best. These include an Air Defense Airspace Management (A2C2)
cell, a Brigade Aviation Element, and a Fires and Effects Cell.
The XO can focus on staff integration and synchronization, while
the DCO can focus leadership in other areas as directed by the
Commander. The BCT Commander has more flexibility in how he sets
up his Main CP, TAC CP and Command Group. A command and
control system that includes networked information systems, combined
with advanced sensors and better analysis and information management,
allows the Commander to see, understand and share tactical information
more rapidly.
We are going through a significant change across the entire Army, not
simply within the Infantry. Our entire structure of systems is being
reevaluated to determine how we can better support the warfighter. We
are updating doctrine and developing better training methodologies,
refining the TOE organization to give the Commander what he needs to
accomplish the mission, changing POIs for leadership development,
and stabilizing the force so units can train as a team and remain in a
high state of readiness for extended periods of time. As new
technologies and materiel become available, BCTs will be gradually
upgraded over time.
The Army is changing for the better. Support of modularity efforts
complements the priority of supporting the global war on terrorism.
History has repeatedly taught us that wars are won and nations
preserved by capably led, quality soldiers who are trained to standard.
The individual soldier and his leaders always have been the key to
victory and will continue to be so as long as freedom endures. This is
where the Infantry excels and where we strive for continuous
improvement. The success of our modularity initiatives requires focus,
discipline and dedication, three areas in which the Infantry has
consistently led the way. I am proud of you and our Army; we are
setting the standard. Follow Me!
continued from page 5
who, under military necessity, have performed duties in combat
similar to those performed by the Infantry. It is understandable
that commanders would want to see their people properly
recognized for performing on the ground, in actual combat against
an enemy, in a manner that they see as consistent with that of the
Infantry. In most cases, their efforts to award those outside the
Infantry have been wisely repulsed or at least corrected.
There is a human tendency, or perhaps just an American one,
to democratize and spread things that are good as broadly as
possible, and in so doing destroy their uniqueness and weaken
their value. It seems obvious that proliferation of an incomparable
and prestigious honor certainly is not likely to enhance its renown
but is, instead, almost certain to diminish it.
And yet misguided efforts to prostitute the CIB continue to
surface from time to time. Those who resist such efforts do so not
because they have no sympathy for their fellow soldiers, nor
because they believe such soldiers to be somehow less worthy.
Indeed, should such non-Infantry soldiers wish to transfer into the
Infantry, placing themselves in the line of fire and in the oftenmiserable
lifestyle of the Infantry not just for a finite period but for
their entire military future, Infantry commanders would be proud
to accept them.
No, those who resist the dilution of the CIB are about what
is bought in blood by generations of soldiers, a connection with
those grimy heroes who slogged through Normandy and froze at
the Bulge, who sacrificed with Task Force Smith and then broke
out of the perimeter at Pusan. They treasure the kinship of
today’s Infantrymen with those who fought in Vietnam and in a
dozen deadly trouble spots around the world and who continue
to sacrifice in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Those who wear the CIB revere it as an emblem that marks
them as special foot soldiers in the service of the queen of
battle. The exceptional bond thus forged, though mystical, is no
less real. For the good of the Infantryman, of the Army, and of
America, it must not be weakened.
Robert B. Simpson is a retired Colonel and Infantry combat
veteran, now a freelance writer. He lives in Midland, Ga.
www.infantryassn.com 7

8
FEATURE
By Doraine Bennett
United States Army
Marksmanship
Unit: WHAT CAN THEY
DO FOR YOU?
The 3ID deployed with 240 new Designated Marksman rifles built by the USAMU.
When the 3rd Infantry Division deployed to Iraq in January, every squad
included a designated marksman equipped with what appears to be a
standard M16 rifle. The weapon may look the same on the outside, but
underneath the front rail system, a heavier fluted barrel cuts down
vibration so the bullet wobbles less as it leaves the gun. The new twostage
match trigger is tuned to the same standards used in competition
shooting at the Olympics. The result is sniper-like accuracy for one
soldier in each squad — a soldier who, on the surface, appears no
different than any other to the enemy.
When soldiers from the 3ID shot with the U.S. Army Marksmanship
Unit (USAMU) at the Army Championships in the summer of 2003, they
returned to their unit convinced that the improved competition rifles met
an operational need.
LTC John Charlton, who was the commander of 1-15 INF, 3ID on
Kelly Hill at the time, was impressed with the demo rifle his scout
platoon leader brought back from USAMU. “Based on my experiences as
a Battalion Task Force commander in OIF1, I thought these rifles would
The target on the right shows the 26-inch shot spread
from 3ID rifles before the USAMU reworked them.
On the left is an eight-inch target spread from the
rebuilt Designated Marksman rifle.
provide a great capability in combat and that we should begin a test
program in 1-15 INF,” Charlton said.
MG William Webster, Commanding General for the 3ID, supported
the test program and the unit began sending rifles to USAMU for
conversion. USAMU converted 22 rifles, which meant one per rifle squad
plus one for each spotter in the battalion sniper section. Based on
successful fielding and training in 1-15 INF, the 3ID requested fielding
across the division. The request went all the way up to the Army G3 and
was approved in September 2003. USAMU immediately began building
rifles, and a total of 240 went with the 3ID when they left for Iraq earlier
this year.
The USAMU usually receives publicity for outstanding competition
performance. This year the unit won every military rifle event in interservice
competition up through the 1,000-yard matches. They shot
against 70 challenging teams from other services to achieve the record
and fulfill the first tenet of their mission statement — to win inter-service,
national and international competitions. They sent seven shooters to the
2004 Olympics, and the official U. S. Olympic team gunsmith was a
member of the USAMU.
Less well-known, but perhaps of greater interest to the Infantryman,
is the final tenet in unit’s mission statement — to give the war fighter
advanced marksmanship training, and perform research, development
and prototyping for improving combat weapons.

Research and Development
In accordance with this mission, gunsmiths and machinists in the
basement of USAMU’s headquarters at Fort Benning fine-tune firearms
for exact levels of accuracy, eliminating every variable possible to
improve the performance of the rifles, pistols and ammunition. Barrels
are machined and tooled in the gun shop to tolerances measured in
hundredths of an inch. The weapons are handmade with the same
materials used in standard Army issue guns, but the care and precision
of the fitting and the intricate matching of parts produces a weapon that
groups more accurately.
The shot pattern at 600 yards from the rebuilt rifles of the 3ID, using
match-grade ammunition, was reduced to a quarter of the original shot
group. With this degree of accuracy, a shooter aiming at a target has a
more reasonable chance of hitting an enemy at twice the distance that
soldiers are normally trained. “It’s the same rifle, it’s just fitted and better
adjusted,” said LTC David Liwanag, Commander of the USAMU. “It’s
almost like NASCAR. All the improvements are under the hood.”
The key combat capabilities Charlton and the 3ID were looking for
in a rifle were:
◆ Accuracy to 600+ meters.
◆ A rifle based on an M16A4 — soldiers would be familiar with its
operation and no specialty parts would be needed.
◆ The ability to fire standard 5.56mm ball ammo as well as matchgrade
5.56mm ammo.
◆ A multi-function rifle useful in clearing rooms, alleys, etc., yet still
able to hit long-range targets.
◆ A low-power, versatile scope that would support short-range,
reflexive shooting as well as long-range precision fire.
The USAMU took lessons learned from competition to build the
Designated Marksman (DM) rifle Charlton needed. This process is
nothing new for the USAMU. During the Vietnam War, almost 1,400
competition M14 rifles became the Army sniper rifle.
“What we hope is to keep showing that competition improvements
can be cordoned and used for direct transfer into combat application. It
doesn’t cost the army anything more because we’re doing this kind of
shooting anyway as part of our mission statement,” Liwanag explained.
Designated marksmen SPC Michael Loveless and PFC David Kirk,
with B Company of the 1-15 INF, took a 10-day crash course at the
sniper school to prepare for deployment with the new DM rifle. “One
of my favorite improvements on the weapon is the trigger squeeze,”
Kirk said.
The new rifle requires only 4.3 pounds of pressure to fire a round
compared to seven pounds on the M16 trigger, allowing the shooter to
focus on keeping his weapon steady. “I like it a lot,” Loveless said. “It’s
easy to operate, easy to shoot. It’s really exciting to be able to shoot
that far.”
After training, Loveless and Kirk returned to their unit at Kelly Hill
and began to pass along the techniques they learned to others in the
SFC Charles Coffey makes concentric openings in cartridges on the Dillon
progressive press in AMU’s loading shop.
From Casing to Clip
By Doraine Bennett
A soldier in the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit (USAMU) loading
shop measures bullets from the O joint, where the bullet starts to
taper, to its point. The difference in length from bullet to bullet
could be as little as 40 thousandths of an inch, but even this
amount may change the way the bullet engages the lands inside
the gun barrel. The soldier’s task is to determine whether this
variation also could affect the accuracy of the bullet downrange.
Members of the USAMU test every possible variable in the
components necessary to make one round of ammunition. Their
goal is to determine which factors actually make the greatest
difference in creating the most accurate product possible for
shooters. “It’s a play on which variable we try to eliminate. Where
do we get the most bang for our buck?” said SFC Charles Coffey,
NCOIC, Parts Range. “We always keep an open mind and try new
things, but what we have gotten it down to right now starts with
the canister.”
Brass canisters from army ammunition factories are sorted
according to weight. Since external dimensions are the same, a
weight difference indicates less volume internally for powder — a
significant variable that will affect the impact downrange.
After being weighed, each canister is placed in a Dillon
progressive press that forces a die into the neck so that each
opening is concentric. Then a trimmer trims both the inside and
the outside, and cleans off all burrs that might hinder the bullet
from sliding smoothly into the casing.
Once the case is prepped, the powder charge, measured to a
tenth of a grain, can be dumped inside. The charge itself has been
previously tested to determine what amount produces the greatest
accuracy downrange.
continued on page 11
www.infantryassn.com 9

FEATURE
company. They see this as part of
their role as Designated
Marksmen. “And the information
flow goes up and down,” said
SFC Earl Wilson, commander for
B Company. “Both of these guys
have taught me things because
I’m not qualified on the weapon.”
In November 2004, the
Army G3 tapped Soldier Battle Lab to compare the DM rifle with existing
army weapon systems. Test results have not yet been publicly released,
but Liwanag feels certain that the DA G3 tests and this rotation to Iraq
will validate the importance of the DM rifle.
Charlton said the 3ID will collect feedback on rifle performance
during their deployment to Iraq and provide that information back to the
Infantry School and USAMU. “We believe strongly in the squaddesignated
rifle concept,” Charlton said, “and are sure that this rifle and
the training our soldiers received will be a tremendous combat multiplier
for the 3ID and the rest of the Army.”
Because the USAMU is not formally in the research and development
cycle, soldiers often learn of the group’s capabilities through seeing their
weapons used in competition. Liwanag encourages units to send their
soldiers to the Army championships for exposure to the improved
equipment. When a commander determines that the USAMU’s improved
weapon fills a shortfall, the unit may submit a proposal, called an
operational (or a war fighting) needs statement, through the Army G3.
The Division Master Gunner of the 82nd Airborne attended a DM
Instructor Course and asked if the rebuilt capability applied to
competition guns could be retrofitted onto their carbines. Would it work
on the shorter version necessary for jumping? The new gun designed for
the Airborne unit has almost the same capability as the longer rifle, but is
two inches shorter.
One would expect the capabilities of the USAMU to be in great
demand. Liwanag said the unit does not get more requests than they can
handle, but they do get more than they can afford. “Unless it comes with
resourcing or a check, I cannot fix the weapons for the entire force on my
own budget,” he said. “It has to
come from the Army, be approved
by the Army, but I can make
prototypes to show what is possible
with off-the-shelf technology.”
SFC Kevin McMahon, machinist, uses a
chamber reamer to cut a chamber in a barrel
on a Southbend metal cutting lathe. The
machine has been used for tuning barrels
since the turn of the 19th century.
10
SSG Shawn Waller, machinist, drills a
gas port hole on an M16 barrel.
The cost for the DM rifles for the 3ID with all the modifications and
500 rounds of match-grade ammunition was $1,100 per rifle. The Army
paid for all the modifications, and the USAMU completed all of them on
budget a month early.
Instruction
USAMU conducts both the Close Quarters Combat Course and DM
Course at Fort Benning. It also offers blocks of instruction during Army
championships. Courses teach a rifleman to shoot his M16 from seven to
600 yards. Most soldiers are confident in short- to medium-range shots,
but have never been trained or challenged to hit distant targets. In Iraq
and Afghanistan they are discovering they can see a lot farther than they
can shoot.
Training also focuses on advanced tactics and techniques developed
by the USAMU — fighting while mounted in a Humvee or truck, or
engaging the enemy on foot while doing a cordon in search of buildings
or homes. Instruction includes how to stay in the fight when a rifle or
shotgun has a stoppage by transitioning to a pistol or to an AK-47 that a
soldier might find on the battlefield. The unit owns both Russian AK-47s
and Chinese AK-47s — procured from U.S. Customs at no cost to the
Army — for training purposes.
At the cost of a week’s absence from their units, soldiers will return as
trained trainers who will improve the level of marksmanship in their
units. Because the USAMU has ammunition allocated for competition and
training, in most courses, soldiers will shoot many more rounds than they
would at their home units or in a training platform.
USAMU also sends Mobile Training Teams (MTT) out to deployed
units. A five-soldier team went to Baghdad to give Close Combat Training
to the 1st Armored Division. They were in six separate forward camps for
three days each, teaching soldiers accuracy skills that will allow them to
survive the first 30 seconds of a gunfight.
The main function of the MTTs, as well as the courses taught at the
unit’s home, is not initial training. The unit trains NCOs who will return
to their own units to train two or three generations of soldiers. MTTs
have been in Korea, the Sergeants Major Academy, Fort Leonard Wood
and Fort Bragg in recent months. Last year USAMU trained cadets,
students in ROTC and JROTC programs, and combat and line units from
Fort Benning, Iraq, Fort Lewis, Fort Bliss, Fort Riley, Fort Jackson and
Fort Campbell. USAMU would like to send more MTTs to the soldiers
forward in Iraq and Afghanistan for sustainment training to keep them on
the edge, but teams go where they are requested.
To receive MTTs, a unit must send a request through their G3 either
to TRADOC or to the USAMU. TRADOC then prioritizes where these
teams will go. Scheduling also depends on the operations tempo at the
home unit, whether the unit is in a shooting season or teaching Close
Combat or DM courses.
“Lots of units out there don’t know the marksmanship unit exists at
all, or what services we can offer them,” Liwanag says. “There are ways of

Instructors from the USAMU conducted the first squad-designated marksman course for
31 Soldiers of the 3rd Infantry Division and 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Benning 4-8
Oct. 2004.
requesting support directly through the Infantry School, but remember
the Infantry School is in the business of providing qualified soldiers. We
provide advanced training above the entry level.”
Unit Composition
Of the 122 people currently a part of USAMU, 70 are shooters. The rest
are support personnel including groundskeepers, target repairmen,
ammunition handlers, gunsmiths and machinists.
Recruitment for the unit occurs in two ways. Inside the force, when
someone with shooting potential comes to the unit’s attention at
championship matches, he or she may be invited back to the team for a
two to three month trial period. The shooter will then accompany the
team to inter-service or national championships. After three months of
practice and national-level competition, if the shooter shows the potential
to improve or to medal, he or she will receive an invitation through the
Department of the Army to PCS into the unit and represent the Army.
Potential shooters from outside the force often are spotted at
international matches. College students who are high-level competitors
may be invited to join through the Army Unit of Choice program. They
are given 12 to 24 months to prove their potential as a soldier and as a
champion. A good example is SPC Hattie Johnson who joined the unit at
18 and in four years, during her first enlistment, went to the Olympics
representing the United States.
Gunsmiths are recruited much like shooters from inside the force or
from colleges and gunsmithing schools. After joining the unit, they
receive advanced gunsmith training at the USAMU.
Once in the unit, soldiers have the potential to stay indefinitely, as
long as they show potential to win or are consistent performers and
champions. Shooters are evaluated every year, usually in October, to see
whether they will be retained or sent back to the force in their MOS. In
the last year, the unit returned soldiers to be recruiters, drill sergeants,
and back to the line in Iraq and Afghanistan. Their experience in USAMU
provides invaluable service to their new units.
A Record Worthy of Notice
On 19 July 2002, SSG Christopher S. Hatcher won the Inter-Service
1,000-yard Service Rifle Competition in Quantico, Va., with a score of
From Casing to Clip
continued from page 9
Finally each bullet is checked to see that it falls within the
desired seat length before it is set on the case. The total tolerance
for seat length is approximately four thousandths of an inch —
about the thickness of a piece of paper.
Machinists in the loading shop are experimenting with a new
machine, something like an MRI. It spins the bullet, revealing any
imperfections inside. Testing will follow to see if there is a
measurable difference between bullets with few imperfections and
those with a higher level. Because this is a time-consuming
operation, the unit will have to determine whether the effect on
the bullet’s accuracy is worth the time it takes to sort them.
When the ammunition is ready, rifles are brought to the test
range for a 10-shot group at 300 meters to test the accuracy of
each barrel. Weapons passing the accuracy standards may then
become test rifles for new lots of ammunition. Once the
ammunition is tested to determine good loads, newly built rifles
are then tested with that load.
Ammunition is kept lot specific. Each case is loaded with one
lot of bullets, one lot of brass and one lot of powder. That way
nothing changes and no new variables are introduced into the lot.
When a soldier squeezes the trigger, he knows that the ammunition
has been matched to give the best performance out of the gun.
Lessons learned in building competition ammunition are
applied to building more accurate ammunition for the regular
army. USAMU designed a piece of competition ammunition for
the U.S. Army Rifle Team. “The ammunition we had before was
just not performing,” said LTC David Liwanag, “so we hand
loaded something better.” After 9/11, Special Forces requested that
the load be standardized. It is now the standard special operations
command load, as well as the load used for the new designated
marksman rifles.
200 – 7X. Firing an M16 at a target at a
distance of the length of 10 football fields,
using only iron sights, Hatcher shot 20
out of 20 hits inside the 10 ring — about
the size a dart board. Seven of the 20
shots hit inside the bull’s-eye — about the
size of a Frisbee.
“If we can give an average rifleman a
rifle/ammunition combination and the
training to shoot with this kind of accuracy,
it gives tremendous flexibility to support
and overwatch the guys that go further and
further out,” Liwanag says. “That’s the kind
of accuracy and confidence we want our
guys to know.” And what better way to
learn the skills than by having a coach who
may have won an Olympic medal?
www.infantryassn.com 11

14
From PEO Soldier
Integrated Sights—A Leap Ahead
By Project Manager Soldier Equipment
Two sights have been tested as part of the OICW Increment I, formerly
known as the XM8 Family of Weapons: the Integrated Sighting Module
(ISM) and the Advanced Magnified Optic (AMO).
The ISM is a unity magnified reflex optic with red dot aim point for
target engagement during the day, and infrared (IR) aiming laser/pointer
and illuminator for target engagement at night. In other words, the ISM
integrates the capabilities of the M68 Close Combat Optic and the
AN/PEQ-2A into a single device.
The red dot and IR lasers are co-aligned. This means the soldier can
zero his weapon once during daytime and it will be accurate in
engaging targets day or night.
The ISM is intended for use on the Special Compact and Baseline
Carbine variants, and provides the soldier with both passive and active
target acquisition capability out to 300 meters.
Selector
Switch
Knob
Rear Shroud
Rear Locking
PCAP Foot
Adjustment Direction
Indicator
Integrated Sighting Module (ISM)
Elevation Adjuster
Front PCAP Foot
Front Shroud
Azimuth
Adjuster
Throw
Lever
Lever Lock
IR Illuminator
IR Pointer
Front Shroud
Red Dot Intensity
Adjustment
Remote
Switch Jack
Adjustment Direction
Indicator
Safety Screw
Storage
Activation
Switch
Battery
Direction
Indicator
Battery Cap
Battery Cap
Lanyard
The XM8 weapon system not only includes the weapon it also includes an integrated
close combat optic and lasers. PM Soldier Equipment has integrated into one package
our current M68 Close Combat Optic and the PEQ-2A (IR pointer and IR illuminator).
Red Dot & Reticle
Elevation Adjuster
Advanced Magnified Optic (AMO)
IR Aim Elevation
Adjuster
IR Aim Windage
Adjuster
Front Mounting Pin
Red Dot & Reticle
Windage Adjuster
Activation Button
IR Illuminator
Lever Lock
Throw Lever
Remote Jack
Battery
Compartment
IR Pointer
IR Illuminator
Red Dot Intensity
Control Buttons
Mode Select
Switch
Status Indicator
LED
Rear Mounting Pin
The XM8 weapon system also includes a powered optic with integrated lasers. We
integrated into one package our current ACOG and the PEQ-2A (IR pointer and IR
illuminator) for the XM8 Sharpshooter and Auto-Rifle variants.
The AMO is a 4X magnified optic with the same IR aiming laser and
IR illuminator as the ISM. It also includes a backup reticle with aim
points at 400, 500 and 600 meters, and a variable focus capability on the
IR illuminator. The AMO integrates the capability of the ACOG and the
AN/PEQ-2A into a single device.
The red dot and aim lasers are not co-aligned on the AMO. It is
intended for use on the Designated Marksman or Automatic Rifle variant,
and provides the soldier with both passive and active target acquisition
capability out to 600 meters.
During FY04, the ISM and AMO underwent developmental testing at
Aberdeen Proving Ground (APG), Md., and White Sands Missile Range
(WSMR), N.M.; user evaluation at Fort Benning, Ga.; arctic testing at
Cold Regions Test Center (CRTC) in Alaska; desert testing at Yuma
Proving Ground, Ariz.; and tropic testing at the Tropic Regions Test
Center in the Republic of Panama. Additional testing is planned for FY05
at CRTC, APG and WSMR.

This rendering, by artists at Christopher Chadbourne and Associates, depicts “The
Last 100 Yards,” which will begin the visitor's experience at the new National
Infantry Museum.
The Last 100 Yards
By Cyndy Cerbin
No matter how many bombs are dropped, no matter how much
ordnance is fired, it will always be the grunt on the ground that takes
the last 100 yards. Infantrymen already know this. The new National
Infantry Museum wants everyone to know it.
The “Last 100 Yards” is the driving theme behind exhibit designer
Christopher Chadbourne and Associates’ plans for the new museum,
which is being built on a 200-acre site that connects Fort Benning and
Columbus, Ga. The Boston-based firm recently unveiled its master
plan to National Infantry Foundation officials. It includes an opening
experience that will lead the museum visitor along a 100-yard path
tracing the Infantry’s major battles from the past 229 years of
American history.
Through multi-dimensional environments, huge scale projections,
immersive sound, theatrical lighting and a stirring musical score,
visitors will be transported to the front lines. They will experience war
as the Infantry does, face-to-face with the enemy.
The “Last 100 Yards” is 30 feet wide and gradually ascends through
the middle of the museum’s spacious central gallery. At its end, visitors
are positioned to begin their interactive journey through the six era
galleries and three thematic galleries that will line the central gallery.
The era galleries depict defined periods of U.S. History, beginning with
events leading up to the Revolutionary War until now, the United States
being the sole super-power.
The Fort Benning gallery, which is first, will explore the
transformational experience of basic training. Visitors, accompanied by
the commanding voice of a drill sergeant, will learn what it takes to
turn an unskilled, undisciplined teenager into a brave and dedicated
Infantry soldier.
As guests conclude their visit, they will enter the Infantry Theater,
where a specially produced film will tie together the themes of the
museum and leave visitors with both a new understanding of the
MUSEUM UPDATE
Infantry and pride in the soldiers who protect
their freedoms.
The museum also will include unique, stateof-the-art
simulator experiences, a large screen
digital theater, a themed café and a gift shop
offering top quality items of particular interest to
Infantrymen, their families and history buffs.
“I’m amazed at how this exhibit plan mirrors
just what we asked for, how the designers were
able to take our abstract messages and make
them come alive,” commented National Infantry
Foundation Director Ben Williams. “I’m
absolutely convinced we selected the right team
for the job.”
Site Work Update
As the exhibit designers continue to refine their
master plan, work is progressing on the site of
the new museum.
The first action, now underway, is the relocation of seven World
War II-era buildings to a clearing in the woods. The buildings include
two barracks, a day room, supply room, chapel, and the headquarters
and sleeping quarters once used by GEN George Patton before his
deployment to South Africa. The buildings were saved by then Fort
Benning Commander MG Jerry White when the Army tore down all the
World War II wood in the mid-’90s. They will be restored to recreate a
company street typical of the years when some 16 million Americans
signed up to join the war effort.
Next on the construction checklist will be the seven-acre parade
field and the Memorial Walk of Honor. Construction on the museum
building will begin as additional funds become available.
Please visit www.nationalinfantryfoundation.com to learn more about the
museum project. Donations may be securely made online, or you may write
the National Infantry Foundation at P.O. Box 2823, Columbus, GA 31901 or
call (706) 653-9234.
Crews prepare the site for the relocation
of seven historic buildings, which will
recreate a typical company street during
World War II.
www.infantryassn.com 15

16
Infantry Hero:
CPL Aaron
“Harry” Yamin
Compiled by Doraine Bennett from personal letters and documents
archived at the National Infantry Museum
CPL Aaron “Harry” Yamin of the 1st
Battalion, 306th Regiment, 77th
Infantry Division.
May 12, 1918
Dear Everybody,
I’m writing this letter
from the guardhouse. Don’t
get scared. As one of the
guards. Not a prisoner. I did not
have my shoes polished right
so I was put on guard as
punishment. So you see they
are trying to make a man out
of me in this army. I don’t know
whether they will ever
succeed….
CPL Aaron “Harry” Yamin may have
been concerned about his abilities,
but when put to the test, he proved
himself worthy of being called one of
the Infantry’s finest. He was awarded
the U.S. Army Distinguished Service
Cross for his action on 27 September
1918, in the Forest of Argonne.
Yamin was born to Jewish
parents in Russia in 1896. His family
immigrated to the United States in
January 1905, settling in New York City. Yamin was drafted in
September 1917 and assigned to the Army’s 77th Division at Camp
Upton, Long Island, N.Y. He was promoted to the rank of Corporal on
4 April 1918. Later in the month, Company B, 306th Infantry Regiment
embarked from New York headed for France.
After initial training with the British Army’s 39th Division at
Bonnigues, France, the 1st Battalion, 306th Regiment, 77th Infantry
Division was ordered to Rambervilliers in the area of the French VI
Army Corps. In June, the 77th Division was attached to the French 61st
Division d’Infanterie (D.I.). When the French unit was withdrawn from
the sector in mid July, the 77th Division took command, remaining in
action in the front lines until 4 August 1918.
June 25, 1918
Dear Ben and Everybody,
I have decided to write this letter to you. I have not
received any letters from you for a long time. In fact I have
not received any mail from home in over two weeks. I’d
rather have one letter from home now than a steak. That’s
going some. Seriously, I am anxious.
Our outfit is now situated in a large deserted village.
When I say deserted, I mean deserted. Not a civilian in sight.
You ought to see the houses. They look like Seventh Avenue,
after a subway cave in. Only a hundred percent worse. The
buildings banged to pieces, wall and stairways crumbled. You
ought to see the church. Every French village has to have a
church. This one used to be a church. When Fritz got through
playing with it, it ceased to be one.
My squad is billeted in an old busted up shack that’s
fallen to pieces. There is a squad on the floor above us. We
are pretty comfortable, except when the boys upstairs forget
themselves, and tread a little too hard on the floor, that
brings the ceiling down on our heads. Otherwise we are quite
comfortable.
You know we are supposed to be in the front lines. Two
of our platoons are actually in the trenches. Our platoon is
right back of the line … It’s a very quiet sector … The only
way we know we are at war here is when the big guns keep
banging away once in a while. At present they are very quiet.
Also we have to wear our gas masks at all times. Several
nights ago the big guns were banging away all night. We
were up for an hour listening to the bang and whine and then
we went to sleep again.
In August, the 306th Infantry Regiment with the 77th Division was
ordered to the U.S. 1st Army Corps area where it relieved elements of the
U.S. 4th Division and the French 62nd Division in the Vesle Sector. On
August 17, the sector merged into the Oise-Aisne operation where the
regiment remained until 15-16 September.
September 15, 1918
Dear Sis,
The days come and they go and I don’t know which is
which. I just found out the day and date. I also think today is
Yom Kippur. I’m not doing much fasting. Nor feasting either.
Rosh Hashanah has gone by. General Pershing’s order
was all men were allowed a pass to town, if it does not
interfere with your
military duties. As it
happens, we were in
the front line. There
was a town nearby,
but there was not a
whole building left in
the place. So what’s
the use….
Guess after I
finish this letter I’ll go
down and see if I can
CPL Yamin poses with his mother
before leaving for France.

find a spring and take a bath. Three of us slept in the same
tent last night. A tent made for two … all night we argued
about the covers. The blankets were made for two, and
three under them, we had a perfectly good time ….
As for the rest, we are going somewhere. Don’t
know where but we know it’s for a long rest. It is good
to be out of range of the old whiz bangs.
On 19-20 September, the 77th Division was ordered to the area of
the U.S. I Corps to relieve the French 120th D.I. in the Foret-d’Argonne
Sector, preparatory to entering the Meuse-Argonne operation. The
306th Infantry entered the front line area on 19 September. The
regiment was in line when the Meuse Argonne operation began on 26
September 1918.
On 26 September, the command post of the 1st Battalion was
located at Le Claon, France. The battalion was moved forward in front
of Route Marchand on the late evening of 25 September. H Hour was
fixed for 5:30 a.m. on 26 September. Artillery preparation lasted for
three hours. At 5:30 a.m., the 1st Battalion attacked with the 3rd
Battalion in close support, following a rolling barrage at the rate of 100
yards in five minutes. During that day an advance of two kilometers
was made through the vast trench complex. The line for the night was
established just north of the Four de Paris-Barricade Pavilion Road.
At 3:00 a.m. COL George Vidmer and his staff moved forward to
the front line. Two companies of the 1st Battalion had become separated
in the dense network of trenches and could not be found. Officers and
orderlies rushed about reestablishing the front line and trying to find
the lost companies. As daylight appeared, soldiers of the German 2nd
Landwehr Division could be seen across the little valley immediately to
the front in the vicinity of Abri de St. Louis and St. Hubert’s Pavillion.
A German red rocket shot up into the sky and a bugle call signaled
the Germans to fire trench mortar shells, machine guns and grenades.
The intense fire caused the men of Company B to hug the ground for
15 minutes. When the fire ceased, a sergeant and six men found a gap
in the German barbed wire, crawled through, and capturing two enemy
machine guns and two prisoners. One of the prisoners reported that a
large force of German infantry held the position. The doughboys called
back to the main body to cut the wire and come through.
Yamin and PFC Carl I. Johanson volunteered to cut a strip of
enemy barbed wire to make an opening for their company, which was
at that time under renewed heavy fire from artillery and machine guns.
The two soldiers went into action and, inside of three minutes, cut a
wide path through the wire enabling Companies B and K to file through
and occupy the vacated trenches.
Just as his task was completed and he had given the signal for his
platoon to advance, Yamin fell with six wounds. He died two days later
and was buried in the cemetery at Commune of La Chalade, Meuse,
France. His remains were later moved to the U.S. cemetery at
Romagne, France.
Yamin was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross in 1919. His
mother accepted the award. His heroism and devotion to duty were in
keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect
great credit upon himself, his unit and the U.S. Army.
Why Belong to the NIA?
• To support the work of the ONLY organization representing the entire
Infantry and the Chief of Infantry. The combined strength of our
membership ensures that the Infantry voice is heard by decision makers.
• To share the camaraderie of like minded soldiers and citizens who believe
in maintaining the Infantry spirit, and to help recognize outstanding
Infantrymen.
• To grow professionally through participation in Association activities,
programs and publications.
• To support a new, expanded National Infantry Museum and the educational
values associated with its contents.
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www.infantryassn.com 17

18
History of the
Infantry Branch Insignia
Two gold color crossed muskets, vintage
1795 Springfield musket, 3/4 inch in height.
Crossed muskets were first introduced
into the Army as the insignia of officers
and enlisted men of the Infantry on 19
November 1875 (War Department
General Order No. 96 dated 19 Nov
Branch Plaque
1875) to take effect on or before 1 June
1876. Numerous attempts in the earlier
years were made to keep the insignia
current with the ever-changing styles of
rifles being introduced into the Army.
However, in 1924 the branch insignia was
Branch Insignia
standardized by the adoption of crossed
muskets, and the 1795 model Springfield Arsenal musket was adopted
as the standard musket to be used.
This was the first official U. S. shoulder arm with interchangeable
parts made in a government arsenal. MG Charles S. Farnsworth first
suggested the image of the standardized musket, now in use, while he
was the first Chief of Infantry in July 1921.
One day in the early spring of 1922, in the office of the Chief of
Infantry, Farnsworth made a remark in substance as follows:
“In 1887,when after graduation leave I joined my regiment on
the frontier, the crossed muskets which were embroidered on the
collar of my blue blouse had hammers which were distinctly shown.
The musket was the old Springfield model 1876, .45 caliber, singleshot
rifle. In 1892, following the rearmament of the Infantry with the
Krag-Jorgensen, .30 caliber, magazine, bolt-action rifle, the Infantry
collar mark was changed to show the bolt action. In 1903, the ‘new’
.30 caliber Springfield taking five cartridges in a clip replaced the
Krag. You see when the Ordnance changed the Infantry weapon, the
Quartermaster changed the Infantry collar mark. The Ordnance is
now working on a shoulder automatic for the Infantry. Do you think
the crossed muskets, which our grandsons will wear on their collars,
will show some sort of a rapid-fire pinwheel breech action? Will it be
possible for you to make a study to determine just what the Infantry
collar mark should be? And incidentally the Infantry collar mark is
crossed muskets, not crossed rifles, for any gun with a twisted bore is
a rifle.”
At the time, MAJ Jerome Clark of the Finance Department
generally was known to have the best private collection of small arms
in the Army. When the case was made known to Clark, without a
moment’s hesitation he reached into the corner behind his desk and
produced one of the prize pieces of his collection, with a remark to
the effect that, “This is the 1795 model Springfield Arsenal musket,
the first official U.S. shoulder production, caliber .69, flintlock,
smooth bore, muzzleloader, the first standardized, quantity
production infantry weapon.”
Clark’s 1795 Springfield musket was taken to the office of the
Quartermaster General; it was photographed from each side and
drawings made. Farnsworth and the office of the Chief of the Infantry
were pleased.
The record drawing was made; GEN Pershing, the Chief of Staff,
signed the drawing and later approved the actual metal collar mark
in the spring of 1922. There have been slight modifications in the
size of the insignia over the years; however, the basic design has
remained unchanged.
Sources:
“Crossed Musket – The Device of the Infantry.” The Institute of Heraldry.
www.tioh.hqda.pentagon.mil/ROTCMiscNGB/Crossed%20Musket.htm.
“Infantry.” The Institute of Heraldry.
www.perscomonline.army.mil/tagd/tioh/Branches/Infantry.htm.
The National Infantry Association
would like to give special thanks to:
CORPORATE MEMBERS
All American Recycling, Inc. ................................Columbus, GA
AM General ........................................................South Bend, IN
Archangel Defense Systems, Inc. ..........................Alexandria, VA
Atmos Energy Corporation ..................................Columbus, GA
BAE Systems ........................................................Columbus, GA
Bell South Federal ....................................................Atlanta, GA
Brashear LP............................................................Pittsburgh, PA
CamelBak Products, Inc. ........................................Petaluma, CA
CB&T ..................................................................Columbus, GA
Columbus Convention and Visitor's Bureau ........Columbus, GA
Computer Sciences Corporation (CSC) ................Columbus, GA
Deer Creek Awards ................................................Olympia, WA
Defense Solutions, LLC......................................Washington, DC
Fire Arms Training Systems, Inc. ............................Suwanee, GA
First Command Financial Planning ......................Columbus, GA
GEICO Direct ......................................................Columbus, GA
General Dynamics Armament and
Technical Products ................................................Arlington, VA
General Dynamics C4 Systems ..............................Scottsdale, AZ
General Dynamics Land Systems ..............................Cataula, GA
General Dynamics Robotic Systems ..................Westminster, MD
Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce ..........Columbus, GA
Heckler & Koch Defense, Inc. ..................................Sterling, VA
Honeywell, Inc. ..............................................Albuquerque, NM
L-3 Communications, BT Fuze Products ................Lancaster, PA
Lockheed Martin ..................................................Columbus, GA
Northrop Grumman Electro-Optical Systems ......Columbus, GA
Northrop Grumman Mission Systems Corp. ........Columbus, GA
Omega Training Group, Inc. ................................Columbus, GA
Phantom Products, Inc. ........................................Rockledge, FL
Pioneer Services ..................................................Clarksville, TN
Pioneer Services....................................................Columbus, GA
Radiance Technologies, Inc.......................................Fortson, GA
Ranger Joes ..........................................................Columbus, GA
Raytheon ..............................................................Columbus, GA
SAAB Training, LLC..................................................Orlando, FL
Steven J. Greer Foundation ....................................Manassas, VA
SYColeman Corp. ..................................................Arlington, VA
TEC-Masters, Inc...................................................Huntsville, AL
TIC Federal Credit Union ....................................Columbus, GA
Titan Corporation ....................................................Opelika, AL
United Defense, LP ..................................................Fortson, GA
Warrior Solutions, Inc. ............................................Boulder, CO
Worldwide Army Rangers, Inc. ............................Columbus, GA

★ News and Awards ★
Reunions
The Third Infantry Division Society, and attached units in war and in
peacetime, will hold their 86th reunion on 15-18 Sept 2005 in San
Diego, Calif. at the Red Lion Hanalei Hotel, 2270 Hotel Circle North, San
Diego, CA 92108. (619) 297-1101 or (800) 882-0858. Room rates are
$99 per night plus tax. Parking is free. Contact: Bruce Monkman at (818)
343-3370, brucemonkman@earthlink.net. or Linda Irvine at (360) 663-
2521, info@TheReunionBRAT.com. www.warfoto.com/3rdiv.htm.
The 101st Airborne Division Association (Screaming Eagles) will hold its
annual reunion from 10-14 August 2005, in Tampa, Fla., at the Double
Tree Hotel. The Desert Storm Eagles will be honored during the event.
Contact Jim Joiner at (813) 645-8777 or at mjoiner883@aol.com or
junglejim327@juno.com.
The Society of the First Infantry Division (Big Red One) will hold its 87th
Annual Reunion from 20-24 July 2005 at the Crystal Gateway Marriott in
Arlington, Va. The group is composed of veterans who served in World
War I, World War II, Vietnam, Desert Storm, the Balkans, Iraq
(previously or currently), during the Cold War and peacetime. Contact:
Society of the First Infantry Division, 1933 Morris Rd., Blue Bell, PA
19422. (888) 324-4733, (215) 661-1934 (fax), Soc1ID@aol.com
NIA MEMBER BENEFITS
GEICO OFFERS SAVINGS OPPORTUNITIES FOR
MEMBERS OF NATIONAL INFANTRY ASSOCIATION
GEICO Auto Insurance has been saving drivers money off car
insurance since 1936 through incentives such as multi-car, five-year
good driver, 50 plus, anti-lock brakes and an anti-theft device.
GEICO now provides an additional discount for members of National
Infantry Association in 42 states plus the District of Columbia.
In a recent survey, policyholders reported saving an average of 15
percent when they switched their car insurance to GEICO. GEICO
also has convenient payment plans, 24-hour access for sales, service
and claims, as well as a countrywide network of claims adjusters.
To find out how much you could save with GEICO, contact your
local GEICO office, or call (800) 368-2734, and be sure to mention
that you are a NIA member. If you already have a GEICO policy, call
to discuss whether you qualify for the NIA member discount.
WELLS FARGO CAPITAL FOR
KNOWLEDGE PROGRAM
The National Infantry Association has teamed up with the Wells
Fargo Capital for Knowledge program, making it easier than ever for
you and your family members to receive education financing. You can
borrow funds to cover all education-related expenses, including a
current or previous year's tuition, room and board, books, fees and
even a personal computer. An instant credit decision is available over
the phone or online, and rates and terms are personalized to meet
your specific credit profile. Call (888) 651-5626 or visit
www.capital4u.net to apply or for more information.
Members of Lone Star Chapter of National Infantry Association and
2-142 IN conducted an Infantry Punch Bowl Ceremony prior to their
deployment for Operation Iraqi Freedom III on 29 Dec 2004 at North
Fort Hood, Texas. 2-142 IN is a member of the 56th BCT, 36th Infantry
Division, Texas Army National Guard. CSM John Morgan was the master
of ceremonies and 1SG Hubert Smith, 1SG Russell Lee, 1SG Scott
Bushnell, 1SG Jeffery Thon, 1SG Dan Reid and MSG Jeffrey Muckleroy
charged the punch bowl. A second ceremony is planned when the 2-142
IN de-mobilizes at the end of their OIF III mission.
NIA Merchandise
Please visit our website at:
www.infantryassn.com
and click on “NIA Merchandise”
The National Infantry
Association has a new
product line and the
proceeds go directly
to the support of the
NIA mission.
www.infantryassn.com 19

20
★ News and Awards ★
Pelham American Legion Post 50 Initiates
Commemoration of World War II 60th
Anniversary Ceremonies in Italy
Former Sen. McGovern, Ambassador Boggs Plan to Participate
The Battle for Italy is one of the most important, yet often overlooked,
campaigns in World War II. Post 50 Pelham, N.Y., together with fellow
organizations of the American Legion, will recognize the sacrifices made
by countless soldiers by conducting memorial ceremonies on the 60th
anniversary of the surrender of German forces to the Allies on Mon.,
May 2. The event will be held at the Sicily-Rome American Cemetery
and Memorial located in Nettuno, a short drive south of Rome. On
Thurs., May 5, a wreath laying ceremony will be held at the Florence
American Cemetery.
Members of Post 50 were moved by the ceremonies honoring the
60th Anniversary of the D-Day invasion last June. When they realized
that nothing was planned to commemorate the Italian fight due to
resource limitations, they took the initiative to draft a resolution
requesting approval to organize an anniversary ceremony in Italy, and
presented this to American Legion leadership on the county, state and
national level. To date approval has been received from the county and
state level, and a “favorable” response was received from the National
Executive Committee.
Post 50 also was informed by the WWII 60th Anniversary
Committee that the proposal had generated interest within the leadership
of the U.S. military and the federal government. Both could be expected
to send senior level representation to the ceremonies. Former Sen. George
McGovern, a WWII veteran, and former Vatican Ambassador Lindy
Boggs have expressed interest in participating.
To help veterans and their families to attend, two tour companies are
coordinating travel plans. Both offer transportation to an opening
reception and the ceremonies, as well as a variety of sightseeing
opportunities. Information is available by contacting Andy Ambrose of
Stephen Ambrose Historical Tours (which will provide a historic military
perspective) at (888) 903-3329, or Harriet Balter of Rich Worldwide
Travel (which will highlight Italian culture and history) at (914) 835-
7600 ext. 134 or (800) 431-1130.
For additional information on participation, contact Kenneth G.
Kraetzer, Jr. at (914) 381-5353 or by e-mail at kgk914@aol.com. Please
direct media inquiries to John Chuhran at (914) 235-5523 or by e-mail at
jtchuhran@aol.com.
In Memoriam
LTG John Norton died of cancer in his home in Basye, Va., on 6 Dec
2004, at age 86. Norton served in the Army nearly 40 years. He
received four Distinguished Service Medals, four Silver Stars and four
Legion of Merits, two Bronze Stars, the Air Medal and the Combat
Infantryman’s Badge. On 22 Sept 2004, he received the Doughboy
Award for his contributions to combat Infantry.
LTG John Norton stands with BG (P) Benjamin Freakley, MG (Ret) Jerry White and
CSM Michael A. Kelso at the Doughboy Award Ceremony.

★ News and Awards ★
COL John Davoren, in-coming Commander, 69th Troop
Command, KSARNG, the new senior Infantryman in Kansas,
presented the OSM to COL Lyn Smith, out-going Commander,
69th Troop Command during his change of command and
retirement ceremony on 6 Nov 2004 in Wichita, Kan.
MSG Blaine Huston (left) was awarded the OSM on 2 Dec
2004 at the CONUS Replacement Center Battalion
Formation/Promotion Ceremony. Pictured with Huston is LTC
Gary L. Spry, Commander, CONUS Replacement Center,
Fort Benning.
MG Rick Erlandson, 34th (Red Bull) Commander, and COL
Don Kerr (OSM 00315), 34th (Red Bull) Chief of Staff, present
the OSM to SGM Steve Bender, 34th Field Training Group, at
the Red Bull's annual Dining Out on 4 Dec 2004.
SMA (Ret) William A. Connelly received the Doughboy Award
on 22 Sept 2004 during the Infantry Conference. Pictured
from left to right are: BG (P) Benjamin C. Freakley; CSM
Michael A. Kelso; Connelly; Mrs. Bennie Connelly, who
received the Shield of Sparta; and MG (Ret) Jerry A. White.
SSG Nye, Alpha Company 2-11 IN IOBC Class 4-04 Cadre
of the cycle, was presented the OSM by COL (Ret) Puckett (left),
Honorary Commander, 75th Ranger Regiment, on 7 Oct 2004.
LT Bump (right) narrated the event. MAJ Hollis, Commander
Alpha Company 2-11 IN stands in the background.
LTC Philip J. Carey, PM Javelin Missile, Huntsville, Ala.,
was presented the OSM on 19 Oct 2004 by COL
Michael K. Beasock, TRADOC Systems Manger, Close
Combat Missiles.
COL Charles W. Durr, Jr., Director of Combat
Developments, U.S. Army Infantry Center,
presented Leon N. Tomlinson, Department of
the Army civilian, with the OSM Civis on 17
Dec 2004 in the Bayonet Room, Infantry
Hall, Fort Benning, Ga.
SSG Jernardo Marmo of 2-46 Infantry
received his Legionnaire OSM from LTC
Jerry Cashion, 2-46 Infantry Commander, at
the first meeting of the Professionals chapter
in Fort Knox, Ky., on 15 Oct 2004.
SFC Richard Stepanek of 1-46 Infantry
speaks to members of the Professionals
chapter, Fort Knox, Ky., at their first meeting
as an active chapter after being presented
with the Centurion level OSM by 2LT Hank
Hamblin on 15 Oct 2004.
www.infantryassn.com 21