July-August - Air Defense Artillery School

nlal allirude. it is a lechnique to be carefully developed
constantly practiced. Junior officers may well take
that one careless slip in the relationship between
m and their enlisted men will im'ariablv undo weeks
painstaking effort to build up discipline ..
Certain features in the officer-enlisted man relationship
Ie been carefully worked out by leaders with years of
tperience. They are well to consider.
• I. T remment of tile Soldier by Ofl1cers. First to remem-
. of course, is that while an officer must adopt a certain
lemal attitude toward his men, at the same time he must
forget that they are to be treated as men. That is not
sa\' that enlisted men will not be corrected for infracns'
of military rules. In fact, they must be corrected
ecliately. Any young officer who does not have the
1e5linal fortitude to insist on proper and precise attention
dut)' from each enlisted man is destroying the respect of
I enlisted man toward him. First weeks are all-impor-
I. Officers must not be afraid to say "no." Unless this
ilucle is practiced, before a young officer realizes it, il
pill be a case of the tail wagging the dog, and his function
a Iroop commander will have been completely destroyed.
b. A Soldier's Self-Respect. No aid is so valuable to dis-
Iine as an appeal to a soldier's self-respect. It is one of
most prevailing human principles that a man will
dertake nearly any dangerous mission to retain his stand-
Igin the eyes of his fellow soldiers. In battle, this factor
IIbe needed by an officer, not once, but many times. It
one of the most successful antidotes of all to combat fear.
garrison, this same pride and self-respect must be carely
nurtured by officers. ,",Vhen appealed to in this
nner, most soldiers will react favorably. New officers
'11find such an appeal the best means with which to
I with first offenders. Nine times out of ten, if an offiwill
approach punishment with an appeal to selfpect,
instead of a sentence in the guardhouse, he will
t be troubled with the offender again.
c. Criticism. One of the common practices of many
ng officers, whether it be in the club bar or around the
table, is casual. indiscriminate criticism of higher
hority. Invariably such disapproval is transmitted to
men. And it is one of the worst habits which a young
cer can develop. Running the \Var Department from a
tery office may be a pleasurable pastime, but it is not
Onduciveto discipline and respect of the troops for their
periors. What most officers do not consider is that when
ey criticize higher authority they are striking directly at
emselvesas direct representatives of such higher authority.
d. Punishment. It is a certainty a young officer will deal
ilt punishment sooner or later. The important factor is
e manner in which such punishment is awarded. Perps
no single item in the commanding of troops is so
cial to a new officer's success as the proper administration
disciplinary measures. The guiding rule for punishment
the Army is to make it impersonal. Each man punished
a superior officer must be made to feel that the penalty
a result of an infallible law which is over and above the
licer. Just as the famous example of the stomach ache
bichfollows the eating of a green apple, so must a soldier
tl about his punishment when he has broken a military
i nVVi LLLUJLl\.:l1111' 1Un J U.'dVh VrrlL..t:.K~ l~
law. The smart officer will picture himself as but a
mouthpiece for a system of justice much greater than
either he or the offending soldier. Justice and promptness
are the two administrative rules which all vouno officers
. ,:,
should remember. At the same time. nothino is so damao-
. ,:, ,:,
ing to prestige as for a young oflicer to go off "half-cocked,"
without examining the facts. He is damaging his standing
if he does not investigate each case; be sure of the facts
before action is taken; then act fast!
e. Talkillg to Soldiers. Young officers must keep constantly
in mind that there is a right time, a right place and
a right way to talk to soldiers. They should not be lectured
when fatigued. \\'hen talked to, enlisted men must be
looked in the eye and get it straight from the shoulder.
Above all, the enlisted men are not there to preach to; more
damage is done by too much talking on the part of officers
to enlisted men than too little. If they are constantly
harangued, soon the words of the officer will be meaningless,
and when he has something really important to say,
it will have the same shade of importance attached to it as
the chatter which preceded. The manner of an officer in
awarding punishment is calm and dignified. A loud manner
and a strident voice have no place in the make-up of a
good officer. \iVhen he loses control and his reserve is gone,
an officer stands pitiful and helpless. The enlisted man has
the upper hand. He no longer commands the men; they
direct him.
f. Relation of Ofl1cers alld Mell: The ancient phrase
"familiarity breeds contempt" may have an overworked
meaning in civilian life, but it is not to be underestimated
in the military world. Probably the most common mistake
which young American officers make in attempting to lead
men is undue familiarity. It is a natural consequence
flowing from the democratic process but it rarely produces
results on the battlefield. There are, it is true, officers who
can treat the men as complete equals and still command
their respect and obedience. Unfortunately the number
of such officers is very small. It is practically nonexistent
among junior officers in the present war. In short, officers
are forced to maintain a reserve between themselves and
their enlisted men for their own self-preservation. It is
difficult to judge the exact amount of such reserve which
will produce the best results, but a certain amount of
aloofness has alwavs to be maintained. The distinction is
not based on socia(barrier or any particular mental achievement,
but is completely necessary for the preservation of
discipline. Officers must remember that no matter how
intelligent or entertaining their enlisted men might be,
they must not treat them the same way as they do fellow
officers. The entire careers of young officers hinge on the
confidence and respect of their men. No matter how careful
they are, this respect will be undermined unless a reserve
is maintained. Again, it is not a social question but rather
a life-saving measure for the preservation of discipline.
\"hen a junior officer gives an order it must receive instant
obedience. A front line gun emplacement is not the
place for a jolly discussion between pals. This practice
may be unpleasant for a young officer to remember, but
the terrible toll exacted when discipline fails is too high
to ignore.