It is
during the practice march that you will put into practical use the
tactical principles and battle formations of which, up to that time, you
will have heard at lectures, or which you will have executed in a
mechanical manner at drill. You will return from each march with a
knowledge of many practical points on camp sanitation, of the pleasures
and hardships incident to manoeuver warfare, and of the manner in which a
soldier adapts himself to changing conditions, all of which cannot be
learned from books or lectures.
The practice march demands a large expenditure of physical and mental
energy; however, the hardships are greatly exaggerated by the old
soldiers. To make up a set of equipment, to assist in cleaning up camp
and loading trucks, to march and fight for a distance of ten or twelve
miles while carrying a heavy pack on the back and a nine-pound gun on
the shoulder, and upon reaching camp to pitch your tent, make up your
bed, do some fatigue work, and probably some guard duty in addition, all
in one day, is a hard physical strain on the average man.
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