USNA: Plebe Summer Infantry • United States Naval Institute Proceedings 61:1529‑1531 (1935)

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This webpage reproduces an article in
Naval Institute Proceedings
Vol. 61 No. 10 (Oct. 1935), pp1529‑1531

The text is in the public domain,
the 1935 copyright not having been renewed in 1962 or 1963.

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p1529 Plebe Summer Infantry

The entering plebe is given four infantry drills of 1½ hours each per week. He usually spends twelve of these periods in preliminary phases before going to his company for infantry drill. He must satisfactorily complete each phase, progressively arranged, before going to the next. Those who have a special aptitude for drill may complete these phases in a shorter period.

[A group of about twenty uniformed men, wearing peaked caps; they are standing at attention outdoors. They are not well lined up. They are new plebes at the United States Naval Academy who have learned how to stand at attention.]

These men have had 1 hour's drill. The first drill takes in "attention," the hand salute, and elementary details of a like nature.

[A double file of twelve uniformed men marching outdoors, seen from the side. They are irregularly spaced and some are not in step. They are new plebes at the United States Naval Academy learning to march.]

These men have had two and a half periods. They have started to learn the simpler "under‑way" maneuvers. A few in each group have difficulty keeping in step.

p1530

[A squad of 28 uniformed men marching four abreast, outdoors, seen from the side. They are somewhat irregularly spaced, some of them not quite lined across, and not in perfect step. They are new plebes at the United States Naval Academy learning to march.]

This group is taking up the squad movements. "Now gentlemen you must learn the basic movements on which all close-order drill is founded, the turn on the fixed and the turn on the moving pivot, by the numbers, etc." These men have had six periods of infantry drill.

[A squad of about 60 uniformed men, four deep, standing at attention, outdoors, seen face on. They are new plebes at the United States Naval Academy learning squad movements.]

The more complicated squad movements are taken up in this final phase before the Plebe is assigned to drill with a rifle. In all phases the movements taught in the preceding phases are reviewed and practiced. These men have had eight infantry drill periods.

p1531

[A company of about a hundred uniformed men marching outdoors, against a backdrop of trees and a low building. They are four abreast, carrying rifles at right shoulder. They are midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy.]

[A company of about a hundred uniformed men standing at attention on a field, against a backdrop of trees thru which a four-story building of classical-inspired architecture can be partly seen. The men are standing at port arms. They are midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy.]

At last he has a rifle and is drilling with his own company. These companies, selected at random on the drill field, received their first group, about twelve men, from the preliminary phases three weeks before this picture was taken. The remainder have been received at the rate of about 20 per week.

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