Knowing the soldier's way

In Good-Bye to All That, Robert Graves wrote:

“The test of drill came, I said, when the officer gave an incorrect word of command. If his company could, without hesitation, carry out the order intended, or, if the order happened to be impossible, could stand absolutely still, or continue marching, without confusion in the ranks, that was good drill.”

On a late afternoon in basic training at Fort Polk, La., the company returned by platoons from a training area to barracks. All of us in Third Platoon were tired, as everyone is on just about every day of the eight-week period of dis-learning civilian ways. Whether from morning PT, marching to and from classroom areas or conducting rifle range firing, all 40 soldiers knew bone-tired days, which, along with discipline, kept us from trouble.

At one point in the march, Sgt. 1st Class Roach, platoon drill sergeant, gave the wrong command. “Left flank … ” he said in his drill sergeant voice. But we all knew he meant us to perform right flank. When he commanded “March!” all 40 of us turned right.

Sgt. Roach never said anything about giving the wrong command, nor were any of us foolish enough to bring his mistake to his attention.

At that point, though, we young men all realized we had reached an immeasurable stage in soldier development. We knew what was required, and we did it.