Swinton: “Yes, sir.”
When Swinton arrives at headquarters he ought thus to be able to give to his commanding officer not only the accurate Body of the verbal message, but the contents of the Heading and Ending of a similar written one.
The above conversation is not exaggerated. It is not only what does happen, but what should happen. It does happen because the average American has rarely developed his powers of attention to things outside of his interest. It should happen because every word in every good message is a vital word. Any omission or substitution is a loss.
PROBLEMS
In each of the following problems try to condense the essential facts, without loss of substance or truth, if possible, into one sentence. The Body only will be attempted. In other words, that part of the dialogue which preceded the last speech of the Patrol Leader will be imitated. It is presumed that we are now conversant with the material of the Heading and Ending. We shall, therefore, dispense with these parts of the message in the verbal exercise.
CAUTION.—Under no circumstances should there be any writing done in connection with the solution of the problems. A violation of this prohibition will destroy the value of the exercise.
1. You are alone in your aeroplane scouting north from your Division which is at Granite Hill. While you are flying low in the vicinity of B-A, you notice a moving cloud of dust which produces a dark spot on the road leading south from Guernsey. The haze extends from the lower edge of the “G” in Guernsey indistinctly through the town. You turn off and fly over Center Mills. When you return the head of the dust cloud has reached the first road-fork south of Guernsey and the tail of it is at the lower edge of the “G.” You land in twelve minutes at Granite Hill. It is one o’clock in the afternoon. You are so cold that you walk with difficulty. You call a Corporal of the Signal Corps to you and give him a verbal message.
2. You are sitting on the knoll at 624 immediately south of the “Sta.” in Granite Hill Station, 5-E. You see about fifteen horsemen cross the railroad tracks and ride up to the cross-roads to the east of you. It is half past ten in the morning when you see them split up into three parties, one riding southwest, one northeast, and one southeast on the three different roads in your vicinity. As the party on the road running southeast comes opposite you, they dismount. You can make them out to be cavalrymen of the enemy. As they start in your rear to cross the stream and to come toward you, you decide to send a verbal message.
3. You are proceeding from the cross-roads southwest of Plainview (B-5) toward Hershey Mill (B-6). When you approach the mill race you notice a quantity of smoke rising; when you come nearer you see the smouldering ruins of the mill. You go on to the Miller’s house and there perceive that the bridge has buckled in the middle and is lying on its side in the water. The Miller tells you that an aeroplane of the enemy went up and down the Conewago at six o’clock the evening before, until it finally landed a bomb upon the bridge. As it was circling to leave, it let another bomb drop upon the mill. You go to the Miller’s telephone and send a message.