Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Infantry of the Army of the United States, 1917 Part 42

21. The strength of guards and the number of consecutive days for which an organization furnishes the guard will be so regulated as to insure privates of the main guard an interval of not less than five days between tours.

When this is not otherwise practicable, extra and special duty men will be detailed for night guard duty, still performing their daily duties. When so detailed a roster will be kept by the adjutant showing the duty performed by them.

22. The members of main guards and stable and park guards will habitually be relieved every 24 hours. The length of the tour of enlisted men detailed as special guards, other than stable or park guards, will be so regulated as to permit of these men being held accountable for a strict performance of their duty.

23. Should the officer of the day be notified that men are required to fill vacancies in the guard, he will cause them to be supplied from the organization to which the guard belongs. If none are available in that organization, the adjutant will be notified and will cause them to be supplied from the organization that is next for guard. (Par. 68.)

24. The adjutant will have posted on the bulletin board at his office all data needed by company commanders in making details from their companies.

At first sergeant's call, first sergeants will go to headquarters and take from the bulletin board all data necessary for making the details required from their companies; these details will be made from their company rosters.

25. In order to give ample notice, first sergeants will, when practicable, publish at retreat and post on the company bulletin board all details made from the company for duties to be performed.

26. Where rosters are required to be kept by this manual, all details will be made by roster.

SECTION 4. COMMANDER OF THE GUARD.

41. The commander of the guard is responsible for the instruction and discipline of the guard. He will see that all of its members are correctly instructed in their orders and duties and that they understand and properly perform them. He will visit each relief at least once while it is on post, and at least one of these visits will be made between 12 o'clock midnight and daylight.

42. He receives and obeys the orders of the commanding officer and the officer of the day, and reports to the latter without delay all orders to the guard not received from the officer of the day; he transmits to his successor all material instructions and information relating to his duties.

43. He is responsible under the officer of the day for the general safety of the post or camp as soon as the old guard marches away from the guardhouse. In case of emergency, while both guards are at the guardhouse, the senior commander of the two guards will be responsible that the proper action is taken.

44. Officers of the guard will remain constantly with their guards, except while visiting patrols or necessarily engaged elsewhere in the performance of their duties. The commanding officer will allow a reasonable time for meals.

45. A commander of a guard leaving his post for any purpose will inform the next in command of his destination and probable time of return.

46. Except in emergencies, the commander of the guard may divide the night with the next in command, but retains his responsibility; the one on watch must be constantly on the alert.

47. When any alarm is raised in camp or garrison, the guard will be informed immediately. (Par, 234.) If the case be serious, the proper call will be sounded, and the commander of the guard will cause the commanding officer and the officer of the day to be at once notified.

48. If a sentinel calls: "The guard," the commander of the guard will at once send a patrol to the sentinel's post. If the danger be great, in which case the sentinel will discharge his piece, the patrol will be as strong as possible.

49. When practicable, there should always be an officer or noncommissioned officer and two privates of the guard at the guardhouse in addition to the sentinels there on post.

50. Between reveille and retreat, when the guard had been turned out for any person ent.i.tled to the compliment (see pars. 222 and 224), the commander of the guard, if an officer, will receive the report of the sergeant, returning the salute of the latter with the right hand. He will then draw his saber and place himself two paces in front of the center of the guard. When the person for whom the guard has been turned out approaches, he faces his guard and commands: 1. _Present_, 2. ARMS; faces to the front and salutes. When his salute is acknowledged, he resumes the carry, faces about, and commands: 1. _Order_, 2. ARMS; and faces to the front.

If it be an officer ent.i.tled to inspect the guard, after saluting and before bringing his guard to an order, the officer of the guard reports: "Sir, all present or accounted for"; or "Sir, (so-and-so) is absent"; or if the roll call has been omitted: "Sir, the guard is formed," except that at guard mounting the commanders of the guards present their guards and salute without making any report.

Between retreat and reveille the commander of the guard salutes and reports but does not bring the guard to a present.

51. To those ent.i.tled to have the guard turned out but not ent.i.tled to inspect it, no report will be made; nor will a report be made to any officer unless he halts in front of the guard.

52. When a guard commanded by a noncommissioned officer is turned out as a compliment or for inspection, the noncommissioned officer, standing at a right shoulder on the right of the right guide, commands: 1. _Present_, 2. ARMS. He then executes the rifle salute. If a report be also required, he will, after saluting, and before bringing his guard to an order, report as prescribed for the officer of the guard. (Par. 50.)

53. When a guard is in line, not under inspection, and commanded by an officer, the commander of the guard salutes his regimental, battalion, and company commander, by bringing the guard to attention and saluting in person.

For all other officers, excepting those ent.i.tled to the compliment from a guard (par. 224), the commander of the guard salutes in person, but does not bring the guard to attention.

When commanded by a noncommissioned officer, the guard is brought to attention in either case, and the noncommissioned officer salutes.

The commander of a guard exchanges salutes with the commanders of all other bodies of troops; the guard is brought to attention during the exchange.

"Present arms" is executed by a guard only when it has turned out for inspection or as a compliment, and at the ceremonies of guard mounting and relieving the old guard.

54. In marching a guard or a detachment of a guard the principles of paragraph 53 apply. "Eyes right" is executed only in the ceremonies of guard mounting and relieving the old guard.

55. If a person ent.i.tled to the compliment, or the regimental, battalion, or company commander, pa.s.ses in rear of a guard, neither the compliment nor the salute is given, but the guard is brought to attention while such person is opposite the post of the commander.

After any person has received or declined the compliment, or received the salute from the commander of the guard, official recognition of his presence thereafter while he remains in the vicinity will be taken by bringing the guard to attention.

56. The commander of the guard will inspect the guard at reveille and retreat, and at such other times as may be necessary, to a.s.sure himself that the men are in proper condition to perform their duties and that their arms and equipments are in proper condition. For inspection by other officers, he prepares the guard in each case as directed by the inspecting officer.

57. The guard will not be paraded during ceremonies unless directed by the commanding officer.

58. At all formations members of the guard or reliefs will execute inspection arms as prescribed in the drill regulations of their arm.

59. The commander of the guard will see that all sentinels are habitually relieved every two hours, unless the weather or other cause makes it necessary that it be done at shorter or longer intervals, as directed by the commanding officer.

60. He will question his noncommissioned officers and sentinels relative to the instructions they may have received from the old guard; he will see that patrols and visits of inspection are made as directed by the officer of the day.

61. He will see that the special orders for each post and member of the guard, either written or printed, are posted in the guardhouse and, if practicable, in the sentry box or other sheltered place to which the member of the guard has constant access.

62. He will see that the proper calls are sounded at the hours appointed by the commanding officer.

63. Should a member of the guard be taken sick, or be arrested, or desert, or leave his guard, he will at once notify the officer of the day. ( Par. 23.)

64. He will, when the countersign is used (pars. 210 to 216), communicate it to the noncommissioned officers of the guard and see that it is duly communicated to the sentinels before the hour for challenging; the countersign will not be given to sentinels posted at the guardhouse.

65. He will have the details for hoisting the flag at reveille and lowering it at retreat, and for firing the reveille and retreat gun, made in time for the proper performance of these duties.

(See pars. 338, 344, 345, and 346.) He will see that the flags are kept in the best condition possible, and that they are never handled except in the proper performance of duty.

66. He may permit members of the guard while at the guardhouse to remove their head dress, overcoats, and gloves; if they leave the guardhouse for any purpose whatever, he will require that they be properly equipped and armed, according to the character of the service in which engaged, or as directed by the commanding officer.

67. He will enter in the guard report a report of his tour of duty and, on the completion of his tour, will present it to the officer of the day. He will transmit with his report all pa.s.ses turned in at the post of the guard.

68. Whenever a prisoner is sent to the guardhouse or guard tent for confinement, he will cause him to be searched, and will without unnecessary delay, report the case to the officer of the day.

69. Under war conditions, if anyone is to be pa.s.sed out of camp at night, he will be sent to the commander of the guard who will have him pa.s.sed beyond the sentinels.

70. The commander of the guard will detain at the guardhouse all suspicious characters, or parties attempting to pa.s.s a sentinel's post without authority, reporting his action to the officer of the day, to whom persons so arrested will be sent, if necessary.

71. He will inspect the guardrooms and cells, and the irons of such prisoners as may be ironed, at least once during his tour, and at such other times as he may deem necessary.

72. He will cause the corporals of the old and new reliefs to verify together, immediately before each relief goes on post, the number of prisoners who should then properly be at the guardhouse.

73. He will see that the sentences of prisoners under his charge are executed strictly in accordance with the action of the reviewing authority.