The insignia of the Y. M. C. A. war workers consist of a red equilateral triangle, worn with one of the angles pointing down, and having horizontally across the center of the triangle a rectangular strip of blue upon which are the letters “Y. M. C. A.” in red. These insignia are worn upon the fronts of the caps and upon the outer side of the cuffs of the coat and overcoat sleeves.
The buttons are of dark bronze and bear the insignia of the Y. M. C. A.
CHAPTER XIV
CUSTOMS OF THE SERVICES
The rules which govern official and social intercourse among members of the military and naval services are based upon the well established customs which prevail in all walks of life, modified only to such extent as may be required by the peculiar conditions of the services in order to secure the greatest degree of efficiency and discipline.
In a military sense discipline may be defined as the cheerful, unquestioned and implicit obedience to the orders from higher authority in such manner as to secure systematic action and the cooperation of all of the component parts of a military force whatever its size may be. This requires a close acquaintance between officers and men, a mutual respect and confidence between them, and combined with this the long hours of drill that tend to make obedience second nature and that harden all physically and bring the whole machine to that high state of discipline and training that may be termed “the fighting edge.”
To secure the desired end requires such a degree of mutual respect among all of the personnel that there will never be the slightest lack of confidence nor hesitation in complying with an order. To many civilians the military hand salute appears unnecessary and it has even been proposed in some quarters to abolish such salutes by enactment of law on the ground that they are not in accord with the spirit of American institutions. Yet the soldier knows that the salute is but the outward and visible sign of discipline, that it denotes smartness and esprit, that it is the patent evidence of alertness and cohesion and the very antithesis of slouchiness and disaffection.
The regulations of the services are insistent that discipline shall be enforced with firmness and decision but at the same time with constant consideration of the rights and feelings of others, whatever their rank or station may be. Courtesy and politeness are demanded at all times in the services of the United States and no enforcement of authority through the “rule of fear” is tolerated.
Strict attention to personal bearing and appearance is an index of character no less in the military services than in other walks of life, as the soldier who is not neat and clean when it is possible for him to be so can rarely be depended upon in a pinch. The best soldiers and sailors get their “clean shave” every morning when soap and water are obtainable whether in the security of peace or the stress of wartime. As one fine soldier expressed it, “We try to live clean, fight clean, and if need be we’ll die clean.”