Dion Williams

“ Whenever the National Anthem is played at any place when persons belonging to the military services are present, all officers and enlisted men not in formation shall stand at attention facing toward the music (except at retreat, when they shall face toward the flag) . If in uniform, covered, they shall salute at the first note of the anthem, retaining the position of salute until the last note of the anthem. ”

“ The Italian troops have a number of distinctive uniforms for different corps and services, but the universal full dress coat is of a dark blue shade, the color of the trousers varying with the corps, and the different colors are used as cuffs and facings to distinguish different branches. Their field uniform is almost universally of a gray shade, though the influence of the prevailing background upon the color of uniform is seen in the white uniforms worn by the troops that must fight in the snow covered mountains of the northern frontier, and the use of khaki is becoming more common. ”

“ The cooperation of the American Red Cross with the medical service of the Army and Navy consists of recruiting, organizing and equipping base hospital and other hospital and ambulance units to be called into service when required by the Army or Navy Medical Corps; handling special problems of health and sanitation in connection with the cantonments, camps and naval stations; stimulating the manufacture of surgical dressings and hospital supplies of all kinds; and promoting the comfort and welfare of the men in training or en route from their homes to camps and training stations. ”

“ In the dry season in India the fields and vegetation turn brown and the roads are heavy with dust which, carried by the winds, soon covers the foliage of trees and shrubbery, so that the whole landscape presents a somber aspect in one brown, dust-colored hue. ”

“ The blue undress jumper is the same as the overshirt except that there are no stripes of braid or stars on the collar or cuffs and the sleeves are not buttoned at the cuff but cut off square and hemmed.
The white undress uniform for chief petty officers and officers’ stewards and cooks is the same as the white dress for these men. For all other enlisted men (except bandsmen) it consists of a white undress jumper of the same style as the blue undress jumper and white trousers and white hat, the jumper and trousers being made of white navy drill. ”

“ The service uniform of the enlisted men of the British Army is of the same khaki-colored cloth as the officers’ uniform and consists of a cap similar to that worn by officers with a visor of tan leather or of khaki-colored cloth upon the front of which the regimental or corps insignia are worn; a single-breasted sack coat buttoning to the neck with a standing turn-over collar, a patch pocket on each breast and a bellows patch pocket on each side below the waist, and shoulder straps upon which are worn, near the arm seam, the regimental badges ”

“ The highest grade of enlisted men in the U. S. Navy is that of Mate. Mates are rated by authority of the Secretary of the Navy from seamen of over two years’ service. They have no relative rank, but take precedence over all other enlisted men. They wear a uniform like that of warrant officers with a distinctive insignia as later described.
The classes of enlisted men in the Navy corresponding to the “noncommissioned officers” of the Army and Marine Corps are styled “Petty Officers.” ”

“ When troops of the Army, Navy and Marine Corps are reviewed by the President of the United States or by any official or officer entitled to review them, they march past the reviewing officer with the bands playing a suitable march, the colors and standards saluting, officers and enlisted men rendering the marching salute and the drummers and buglers sounding the ruffles and flourishes appropriate to the rank of the reviewing officer. ”

“ In the Army and the Marine Corps all commissioned officers, line and staff, have positive rank in the several grades, and it is customary to address them when communicating orally with them by the name of the rank they hold, the variations being that all General Officers (Generals, Lieutenant Generals, Major Generals and Brigadier Generals) are commonly addressed as “General,” that Lieutenant Colonels are addressed as “Colonel,” and that all subalterns (First Lieutenants and Second Lieutenants) are addressed as either “Lieutenant” or as “Mister.” ”

“ In times of peace the Army consists of the regular army, but in case of an invasion or threatened invasion of the territory of the United States or of rebellion or threatened war against the constituted government of the nation, this force may be augmented by calling the organized militia into service and further augmented if necessary by the employment of volunteers or drafted men, with the authorization of the Congress. ”

“ In Russia there is a great variety in full dress uniforms, and the effect of the long coat and turban of the Cossack on one hand and the bright plumes and short jackets of the Central European cavalry on the other is traceable. For field service uniforms dull shades of gray-green have become almost universal, and the cold of the long winters has naturally resulted in the use of long and heavy overcoats. The Russian soldiers all wear top boots instead of the low topped laced shoes common for foot troops in the armies of France, England and America. ”

“ Strict observance of military custom demands that an officer in uniform and under arms, that is carrying the weapon with which he is armed or wearing his belt and sword, should not remove his headdress either out of doors or within doors; but in deference to the universal custom among civilians it is considered proper for officers in uniform and wearing their swords sheathed to remove their headdress when entering a room, especially in case there are ladies present. ”

“ During peace times officers serving on detached duty or in the offices of the Departments where there are no enlisted men on duty ordinarily wear civilian clothes, but in time of war all officers and enlisted men are required to wear the olive-drab service uniform at all times except when the full dress and dress uniforms are prescribed for some appropriate special occasion. Officers ordered on active field service are required to carry with them only the service uniforms. ”

“ Service Stripes are worn by all enlisted men who have served faithfully for one or more enlistment terms in any branch of the Government service, one stripe being worn for each enlistment; they are worn on the dress coat, winter field coat and overcoat diagonally across each sleeve between the wrist and the elbow. For the blue dress coat these stripes are of yellow silk braid eight inches long and one-half of an inch wide edged with one-eighth of an inch of scarlet cloth. ”

“ The blue cap has a bell crown, the band being of gold braid one and one-half inches wide with a narrow stripe of maroon silk through the center of it and the chin strap worn across the front just above the visor being of gold braid five-eighths of an inch wide with a narrow stripe of maroon silk through the center. The edge of the visor is decorated with gold embroidery, and on the front and center of the cap the distinctive device of the Public Health Service is embroidered. ”

“ As France was the first country of modern times to establish by governmental regulation and order a uniform dress for her armed forces on shore, so has she been the most consistent of all countries in dressing all branches of her service on much the same color scheme, though here as in the other countries is sometimes seen the influence of the native dress of the lands into which the French have extended their colonial activities. ”

“ The sword for officers of the Army is a saber with a slightly curved bright steel blade, a half-basket hilt with the guard of bright steel, and an ebony grip. The scabbard is of bright steel with two plain bands and rings for attaching the saber to the slings.
The saber knot worn on the hilt of the saber for attaching the sword to the wrist, for wear with full dress uniform is of heavy gilt cord ending in a gilt braided acorn for General officers and for other officers a strap of flat gold braid with a row of black silk interwoven in it near each edge ”

“ In the United States Army and Marine Corps the prevalent color for the field service uniforms is some shade of the dull brown commonly known as “khaki,” and the bright gilt and silver buttons, corps and regimental devices and numbers and belt buckles have been replaced to a great extent by dull bronze buttons and ornaments, insignia of rank for officers only being still made of silver and gold. ”

“ Women are enrolled in the U. S. Naval Reserve Force in the ratings of Chief Yeoman, Yeoman, First, Second or Third Class, and Landsman for Training, and assigned clerical duties on shore. They are required to wear blue or white uniforms consisting of a Norfolk style coat and tailor-made skirt of blue navy serge or white drill, a white beach cloth shirt-waist and black navy neckerchief, black hose and shoes with blue skirt and white ones with white skirt, and a flat brimmed blue felt or white straw sailor hat with the regulation Naval Reserve cap ribbon. ”

“ The Marine Corps.—The Marine Corps is a distinct military organization normally forming an integral part of the Navy, but when the President so orders any portion of the corps may be detached for service with the Army, and in every war in which the United States has been engaged the marines have fought as a part of the crews of the fighting ships of the Navy, as landing forces and expeditionary forces with the Navy and also on detached service with the Army. ”