First and foremost a fighting man's work depends upon his physical fitness.
To begin with, a soldier's mind must always be on the alert and equal to any strain, and no man's mind can be at its best when he is handicapped by a weak or ailing body.
The work of the fighting man makes harsh demands on his body. It must be strong enough to undergo the strain of marching when every muscle cries out for rest; strong enough to hold a rifle steady under fatigue and excitement; strong enough to withstand all sorts of weather, and the terrible nervous and physical strain of modern battle; and more, it must be strong enough to resist those diseases of campaign which kill more men than do the bullets of the enemy.
Hence the necessity of developing and strengthening every part and muscle of the body.
=5. Facings and Marchings.= The object of the facings and marchings is to give the soldier complete control of his body in drills, so that he can get around with ease and promptness at every command.
The marchings,--the military walk and run,--also teach the soldier how to get from one place to another in campaign with the least amount of physical exertion.
Every man knows how to walk and run, but few of them how to do so without making extra work of it. One of the first principles in training the body of the soldier is to make each set of muscles do its own work and save the strength of the other muscles for their work. Thus the soldier marches in quick time,--walks,--with his legs, keeping the rest of his body as free from motion as possible. He marches in double time,--runs,--with an easy swinging stride which requires no effort on the part of the muscles of the body.
The marchings also teach the soldier to walk and run at a steady gait. For example, in marching in quick time, he takes 120 steps each minute; in double time, he takes 180 per minute.
Furthermore, the marchings teach the soldier to walk and run with others,--that is, in a body.
=6. Saluting.= The form of salutation and greeting for the civilian consists in raising the hat.
The form of salutation and greeting for the military man consists in rendering the military salute,--a form of salutation which marks you as a member of the Fraternity of Men-at-arms, men banded together for national defense, bound to each other by love of country and pledged to the loyal support of its symbol, the Flag. For the full significance of the military salute see paragraph 1534.