US Army Infantry School - Doughboy Yearbook (Fort Benning, GA)

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In ii --'gf Ptf. V THE INFANTRY BOARD QDRG,-XNIZ.-Yl'l0N AND Fl'NfI'l'IONS 'rj'-gr IHE Infantry Board was provided for as one of the permanent i Boards of the service and its organization was prescribed origin- lg ,S ally by Change No. 22, dated December 15th, 1919, to paragraph 336, Compilation of Orders. At the time Change No. 22 was issued there was no Chief of Infantry, so that prior to the time the Infantry Board was organized there was no provision for a permanent organization or group to which the pro- blems of the infantry might be presented or one Whose sole functions were the improvement of the infantry service. The need for such a Board had existed for a long time and the necessity for it had been demonstrated and more or less recognized by the War De- partment by the detail of Boards of Officers from time to time to consider matters of vital interest to the infantry. These boards were usually composed mainly of Infantry officers and were assembled temporarily to consider specific matters designated in the instructions sent to the Board and beyond which the Board had no province. On completion of this duty the Board was adjourned and years would probably intervene before another was con- vened. One of the most important of these temporary boards was the one known as the Infantry Equipment Board, convened in April 1909 which consisted of five infantry officers and one ordnance officer. The result ofthe Work of this Board was the elimination of the old blanket roll and the adop- tion of the Model 1910 infantry equipment. Some valuable experimental Work had been carried on in connection With machine guns and small arms and the equipment for these weapons at the old School of Musketry. This school, first organized in 1907 at the Presidio of Monterey, California, was later transferred to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, and in 1918 to Fort Benning. Its name in the meantime had been changed in 1917 to The Infantry School of Arms and was subsequently changed early in 1920 to The Infantry School. The Infantry Board as originally provided for was to be permanently stationed at Camp Benning, Georgia, and was to be composed of: The Commandant, The Infantry School, The Assistant Commandant, The Infantry School, 'SW ' '77 '- I 'Q.!Q?g .Www

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14: U -R., ,f 9 f 1, I Am -E- , , -L ' -0924 DOUGHBOY 3 THE INFANTRY BOARD TOP Row: QLeft to Rightj MAJ. HEIQBERT O'LEARY MAJ. E. P. DENSON MAJ. F. R. FULLER BO'I I'OM Row: fLcft to Rightj NIAJ. MAX B. GARBER COL. A. VV. BIORNSTAD BRIG. GEN. BRIANT H. WELLS COL. B. GONVEN

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-la u -egg 1 M3 V i f era. if 3 K A ' M EX Three officers to be designated by the War Department and to be assigned, as far as practicable, to organizations stationed at Camp Benning, Georgia. An officer of the Ordnance Department stationed at The Infantry School to be a member of the Infantry Board for the consideration of Ordnance matters only. The purpose of the Board as published at that time was, to consider such subjects pertaining to Infantry as may be referred to the board by the War Department and to originate and submit to the War Department re- commendations looking to the improvement of the Infantry service. At this time, as mentioned above, there was no Chief of Infantry so the regulations provided that the Infantry Board would operate under the direc- tion of the War Department, but that all communications to and from the Infantry Board were to be sent through the Commandant, The Infantry School. With the designation of a Chief of Infantry by the War Depart- ment the board naturally became a recognized agency of his office. The present regulations covering the organization and functions of the Infantry Board are contained in A. R. 75-10. These regulations provide that the Infantry Board will operate under the direction of the Chief of Infantry and states the purpose of the board is to consider such subjects pertaining to Infantry as may be referred to the Board by the Chief of Infantry and to originate and submit to the Chief of Infantry recommendations looking to the improvement of the Infantry. The membership of the board is to be made up as follows: The Commandant, The Infantry School, The Assistant Commandant, The Infantry School, Not less than three nor more than five officers to be designated by the Chief of Infantry, For the consideration of Ordnance matters only an officer of the Ordnance Department stationed at the Infantry School. The Board at present consists of the Commandant and Assistant Comman- dant of The Infantry School, four Infantry officers as working members of the board and for the consideration of Ordnance matters, an Ordnance officer. Q J Q TE 'r m - 5- Pa' if 5 wg wx? 1- V . Q-- ll tx dll