CHAPTER I

SUGGESTIONS TO OFFICERS JUST APPOINTED

(See corresponding chapter in SUPPLEMENT for additional matter and changes, if any.)

ARMS AND EQUIPMENT

A

War Department orders require officers to have the following: MOUNTED OFFICERS

B Horse Equipments. Saddle, complete; saddle blanket, saddle cloth, bridle, halter, watering bridle, nose bag, saddle bags, lariat, picket pin, currycomb, horse brush and surcingle. (See Supplement, Chap. I, Par. 2.)

C Personal Equipment. Blanket, canteen, meat can, knife, fork, spoon, tin cup, saber belt, spurs, field glass, watch, compass, notebook, and pencils.

D Arms. Saber, revolver, and ammunition.

Staff officers and those acting as such will, when the nature of their duty requires it, carry a dispatch case to be furnished by the Ordnance Department on memorandum receipt. (See Supplement, Chap. I, Par. 3.)

Medical officers are not required to provide themselves with field glass, revolver, and ammunition. Mounted chaplains are equipped as staff officers, but without arms.

DISMOUNTED OFFICERS

E

Personal Equipment. Blanket, canteen, tin cup, meat cup, knife, fork, spoon, haversack, saber belt, field glass, watch, compass, notebook, and pencils.

F

G

Arms. Saber, revolver, and ammunition.

For Ordnance Department prices of arms and equipments, see Supplement, Chap. I, Par. 4.

UNIFORMS

H

The uniform regulations are published from time to time in War Department orders, copies of which may be obtained upon application to The Adjutant General, U. S. A., Washington, D. C. Request should also be made for copies of all orders and circulars modifying the uniform order. (See Supplement, Chap. I, Par. 1.)

A

The uniforms you should get will depend, as suggested below, on whether your first service is to be in the United States or in the Philippines.

None

3. Olive Drab 2 blouses; 2 pair breeches

(one best and one medium The khaki is prescribed for habitual use

quality)

B

None

One

in the Philippines and for summer use in U. S.

2 blouses, 2 pair breeches. Buy more upon reaching Manila, where good khaki uniforms can be purchased much cheaper than in the United States. Purchase some upon reaching Manila, where they are much cheaper than in the United States.1

One

You may return to the United States in winter.

For prices of khaki and white uniforms, caps, etc., in Manila, see Supplement, Chap. I, Par. 5.

с It is thought the olive-drab and khaki uniforms that an officer can purchase from the Quartermaster's Department at such reasonable cost are plenty good enough for target practice and other rough garrison use and for ordinary field service. For prices see Supplement, Chap. I, Par. 6.

Sigmund Eisner, Red Bank, N. J., a Government clothing contractor, makes officers' olive-drab and khaki uniforms at very reasonable cost. A price list and measuring blank will be furnished upon application.

D Special Full Dress or "Evening Uniform." Get a special full dress and wear it at all formal evening social functions. It is not considered good form to wear the dress uniform on such occasionseither the special full dress, the full dress, or the mess jacket should be worn. The special dress is by far the most comfortable, becoming, and dressy uniform garment we have.

Although the uniform order prescribes dark blue for the special full dress, the author has known officers to have the regular civilian evening dress coat converted into a special full dress coat. At night, which is the only time that the special full dress is ever worn, it is almost impossible to distinguish between dark blue and black. Civilian evening dress trousers are, of course, worn with the converted coat. (However, the uniform order prescribes that the special full-dress trousers for line officers shall have no braid or stripes along the legs).

Civilian evening dress coats will be converted into special full-dress coats by any first-class military tailor at about the following cost, which includes embroidering the sleeve insignia: 2nd Lieut., $7; 1st Lieut., $9; Captain, $10.

In this manner a special full-dress uniform can be procured at comparatively small cost.

1 However, the Philippine suits do not as a rule fit well. It is, therefore, suggested that you have John G. Haas, of Lancaster, Pa., or some other first-class military tailor in this country make you a suit of white to take along as a model, and have it reproduced in the Philippines.

A Overcoat. The overcoats furnished by the Quartermaster's_Department are very satisfactory, and many officers wear them. They cost $15.11. The buttons must be changed in order to have the overcoat conform to the officers' pattern. Buttons for officers' overcoats can be obtained from any of the military dealers at about this cost: Large buttons, $1.25 per dozen; small buttons, 50 cents per dozen. These prices are for the very best quality.

Sigmund Eisner, Red Bank, N. J., a Government clothing contractor, makes a very good officers' overcoat. Price: $22 to $35.

B

Cape. While a cape is at times a very convenient thing to have, it is not a necessity, and it is suggested that you delay getting one until you feel that you can afford it.

C

Rubber Cape and Rubber Boots. Get a rubber cape and a pair of rubber boots.

A slicker is very desirable for mounted service and can be obtained from the Q. M. D.

D Civilian Clothing. The kind and quality of civilian clothing one should get depend upon these circumstances:

(a) Location of station;

(b) Extent to which you intend to go into society;

(c) What you have been accustomed to in the way of dressing. However, for the officer of limited means, the following is suggested:

i One evening dress.

(While it is sometimes convenient to have a Tuxedo, it is not at all necessary. Wait until you have been in the service awhile and have a little money saved up before getting one.)

2 Get two business suits, but do not buy from the high-priced, fashionable tailors. As a rule, ready-made clothing purchased from any of the first-class clothiers in New York or any other large city, and altered to fit, will answer every purpose. But be sure to go to the best first-class clothier you can find.

In view of the fact that the average officer wears his civilian clothing so little and consequently keeps it so long, you should not buy exaggerated or ultra styles-they go out of fashion much quicker than the moderate styles.

(NOTE: Officers returning from the Philippines often make the mistake of purchasing civilian clothes in Japan or in Hong Kong. The author has not yet seen an officer who did so that did not regret it. The material is good and the clothes ludicrously cheap, but the workmanship is generally poor, and the cut entirely out of style, so that when you reach the States you are ashamed to wear your Nagasaki or Hong Kong suits.)

E With regard to collars, shirts, gloves, ties, and other articles of haberdashery, it is suggested that you go to some first-class, wellknown haberdasher, get hold of a bright clerk who understands his business, tell him what you want, and let him assist you as to colors, designs, and styles.

A

Underwear, Bedding, Etc. Your wardrobe should consist of about the following:

These articles are considered necessaries-the purchase of more of them, or of other articles not named, would entail an additional expense, which can well be postponed until new articles are needed.

B Attention is invited to the business directory of military dealers, clothiers, etc., in the back part of the Supplement. All the firms whose names appear in this directory are reliable, well-known con

cerns.

GENERAL REMARKS

I As a rule young officers, especially those from West Point, load themselves down with lots of things that are not at all necessary, thereby joining their regiments very much in debt. Do not let the dealers talk you into buying silk pajamas, fancy socks, lavendercolored gloves, Waterbury watches, etc.

.2 While young officers who have only their pay should economize as much as possible, they should under no circumstances do so by getting inferior uniforms-they should economize instead on their club bills, amusements, etc. To endeavor to economize by buying inferior uniforms and other articles of equipment is not only false economy, but it is false economy of the worst kind. The only way to really economize on your dress and equipment is to get the very best and then take proper care of it. The life of uniforms and other articles of equipment can be prolonged materially by proper care. See "How To Take Care of Uniforms; Suggestions Regarding Various Articles of Equipment," page 478.

The officer who thinks nothing of running up a big bill at the club or of spending $5 or $10 for an evening or two of pleasure, but who endeavors to save a few dollars on his dress, has distorted ideas of economy and a warped conception of what is rightly expected of him.

с Remember that while it is true "The clothes don't make the man," it is also true, as the world is constituted, that, right or wrong, they go a long way to influence the impression that others get of

him. In material, style, and fit your clothes should always suit the occasion. Do not buy "shoddy" clothing and articles of equipment. To dress neatly and properly is something you owe your position, your associates, and the men you command-it is something you owe yourself. Furthermore, there is a great deal of personal satisfaction in wearing clothes that fit well and look well. Perhaps a genius can afford to be careless about his dress, but the ordinary mortal can not. Are you a genius?

There is nothing in this world that looks more shabby than a shabbily dressed officer. Never wear soiled collars or cuffs, mussy or spotted clothes, soiled trousers, tarnished insignia or braid, old shoulder straps, frayed saber knots, etc. Keep your clothes clean and pressed, your insignia bright, and renew your trouser stripes, shoulder straps, braid, and saber knots as often as may be necessary to have them always bright and fresh. You would not allow your soldiers to wear mussy, soiled, or tarnished articles of dress and you should not do so yourself. Think this over.

3 If practicable, pay cash for all purchases, thus getting the usual cash discount of ten per cent or so. If you have not the money but can obtain it from some relative or friend, or from some bank at 6 or 8 per cent interest, do so-borrowing only such amount as may be absolutely required to pay for necessary purchases. Buying for cash will cause you to limit your purchases to needed articles.

A

Household Effects. Before purchasing any household effects it is generally better to write to the adjutant of your station and ascertain what articles can be bought near the post, and whether the prices are reasonable. It is sometimes possible to get chairs, tables, lamps, etc., from the quartermaster on memorandum receipt. Ascertain from the adjutant what you will be able to get from the quartermaster, and what it will be necessary for you to buy.

It is suggested in furnishing your quarters at first that you merely consider your necessities as a soldier, getting a comfortable bed, a rug or two, four or five chairs, a table or two, inexpensive curtains for windows, and a few more essential articles. Do not get anything else until after you have been at your station long enough to decide to your own satisfaction exactly what more you require, and have the money to pay for the same.

B In case your first service be the Philippines, you will find wicker chairs, bamboo tables, and floor mats very reasonable in Manila. It is suggested that the following-named articles be brought from the United States: