Your 11 General Orders

[Griff Murphey]

Were you of the generation that memorized the 11 general orders? I was in ROTC at the time. I think they dumbed them down to 3 general orders about 1968, which was rather a damning indictment of the U.S. Educational System.

The next time I see one of these guys with a "Homeless Vet" sign I think I'm going to crack my window, hold up a dollar, and ask him, "What's your First General Order?" If he gets anywhere close to it he gets the dollar. If a blank look, no dollar.

[Liam]

"I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved"

Funny how one can retrieve such info from the far reaches of one's grey matter.

[Art]

"I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved"

Funny how one can retrieve such info from the far reaches of one's grey matter.

Yeah, I guess the education system failed early, I never did memorize all of those.

[Michael Tompkins]

As a young MP in the late 70's, I was stuck for a time as a guard at a Nike-Hercules site in W.Germany. The "guard knowledge" we had to retain was quite dizzying. I spent hours trying to memorize it all. Funny thing...as soon as I left and went thru Out-Processing, they told me to forget everything I knew. They literally said that to me! At the time, I thought to myself, isn't this the kind of stuff you hear in the movies? It was laughable! Mike

[Dan Shapiro]

I think Griff was from "way back". 67-70, we still had 10 General Orders. IIRC, the 11th was "Shoot all hostiles on sight."

[Griff Murphey]

It is in fact, 11 general orders and I think the USMC still uses them. The 11th is:

"TO BE ESPECIALLY WATCHFUL AT NIGHT, AND DURING THE TIME FOR CHALLENGING, TO CHALLENGE ALL PERSONS ON OR NEAR MY POST, AND ALLOW NO ONE TO PASS WITHOUT PROPER AUTHORITY."

[cwartyman]

1st general order is to take charge of this post and all government property in view and yes in 1988 we were required to memorize them down in glorious Parris Island besides the 11 th the other long one was to receive, obey and pass on to the sentry who relieves me all orders from the commanding officer, officer of the day, officers and non commissioned officers of the guard only. I believe that was the 6th.
Mack

[Bill D]

The 11 General Orders for a Sentry: (Navy)

1. To take charge of this post and all government property in view.

2. To walk my post in a military manner, keeping always on the alert, and observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing.

3. To report all violations of orders I am instructed to enforce.

4. To repeat all calls from posts more distant from the guard house than my own.

5. To quit my post only when properly relieved.

6. To receive, obey and pass on to the sentry who relieves me, all orders from the Commanding Officer, Command Duty Officer, Officer of the Deck, and Officers and Petty Officers of the Watch only.

7. To talk to no one except in the line of duty.

8. To give the alarm in case of fire or disorder.

9. To call the Officer of the Deck in any case not covered by instructions.

10. To salute all officers and all colors and standards not cased.

11. To be especially watchful at night, and, during the time for challenging, to challenge all persons on or near my post and to allow no one to pass without proper authority.

They were a little different for a Marine and a LOT different for the Army.

[Dan Shapiro]

Thanks for the reminder. There were 11. Just another case of CRS. :eusa_wall:

We did have a 'catch-all' in the army. "I'll walk my post from flank to flank, and take no crap from any rank!"

[mike24d20]

While guarding a ammo dump at Ft. Bliss in the early 70's. We had only one general order, Shoot too kill all who entered our area of patrol if they failed to correctly give the correct call sign. There was a nuke in storage. An for the life of me I could never remember all the general orders, spent a lot of time on KP in basic.

[phil441]

In AF Basic in 1961, I knew them all. The TI would, while you were distracted by some duty, walk up behind you and shout "Airman! What is General Order Number ___!" If you couldn't recite it instantly, It was gonna be a very long next couple of days.
When I left Basic, my brain just threw all that away.

[Michaelp]

I'll walk my post rom flank to flank and take no **** from any rank.

[Griff Murphey]

That must be the 12th, Michael!

[pcox]

My company, which was aircraft general support, recieved word that the new base commander would be inspecting us. I had a two man room to myself and I worked on it for two days. It sparkled. TA-50 was laid out on the bunk perfectly, footlocker was perfect, wall locker likewise, M-14 couldn't have been cleaner. I was ready! The first thing that Major General did was ask me what my third general order was. That's when I realized that I wasn't ready. I couldn't recall. He grinned and said "nice try" and walked out. The CO gave me a pretty hard look. Two days later I was on the duty roster for guard mount, even though I was technically exempt from duty because of my job. Message recieved.

[joem]

# 11 got me a Captains Mast when some goof ball Lt tried to catch people sleeping on guard duty. He failed to halt and be recognized in the dark. He halted when I racked the shotgun and made him lay in the dirt road then whisper the pass word. I had one day of extra convoy duty, but I didn't see him around the bunkers again. Co knew I did it on purpose. RVN 68.

[Dan In Indiana]

Had a 1st Lt. come by my bunker on the North side of Chu Lai one night, actually his driver pulled up in front. Driver looked at me, smiled, pointed at someone coming around the back of the jeep. Gave it the old, "who goes there", then the "step forward and be recognized" thing, all the while pointing an M14 at him from the hip. Once that was over, chit chat started. He then as me what I would do if I saw some one coming across the MSR. Give it the old "Halt" three times. Then what he asked. By that time, with the lights we had out there, I would know whether or not he was one of us or one of them. Then what he asked again. Well sir, if he gets to the concertina wire in front of me, I'm going to blow his ass away, call it in, and then try and explain what happened when you come back out here asking what the hell is going on. He chuckled a bit, said that wasn't exactly what he was looking for, but that will do. Have a nice night Corporal. Driver was laughing as they drove away. Now what was the General Order I was supposed to remember? Ah, back to the lawn chair and another peaceful night.

PS The twelve General Order is: If it don't fit, get a BFH.

[John Sukey]

12. Tp walk my post from flank to flank and take no sh*t from any rank
13 Too walk my post a mile a minute and carry my rifle with nothing in it.

I remember going on guard with an M1 rifle and THREE rounds of ammunition. Could be they didn't trust us???

[Beachbumbob]

That's two more than they gave us in Advanced Infantry Training at Ft Jackson. We got a shotgun and 1 round. We were advised, not to use it to shoot an intruder but to use it to alert the Sergeant and Officer of the Guard of problems. After that we were reminded that we'd had bayonet and hand to hand combat training. When asked about our safety, they told us that if something happened and we did die defending the ammo dump, they'd make sure our family got a nice medal...........

[Griff Murphey]

At Fort Sill, ROTC summer Camp, summer 1970, they gave us an angle head flashlight and a tent stake. After all, we were future 2Lts. We were not trusted with live weapons and ammo.

[JimW in Ore]

Amen to that, brother.

[Art]

# 11 got me a Captains Mast when some goof ball Lt tried to catch people sleeping on guard duty. He failed to halt and be recognized in the dark. He halted when I racked the shotgun and made him lay in the dirt road then whisper the pass word. I had one day of extra convoy duty, but I didn't see him around the bunkers again. Co knew I did it on purpose. RVN 68.

My father told me an officer (I think he said Lt. Commander) on Samar was shot and killed by a SeaBee sentry for failing to halt while being driven through a checkpoint in a jeep. It turned out his driver said the officer had been drinking and told him to drive straight through the checkpoint.

Dad said no action was taken against the sentry.

[Bill D]

Old joke was, "call halt three times and then shoot". Seebees "shoot three times and call halt". It was generall accepted during WWII that screwing around with the Seebees could very well be hazardous to your health.

[John Sukey]

Early in WW2 there was a shortage of rifles and on some instalations sailors were walking guard with Trapdoor Springfields!

[Peconga]

Old joke was, "call halt three times and then shoot". Seebees "shoot three times and call halt". It was generally accepted during WWII that screwing around with the Seebees could very well be hazardous to your health.

Average age of a Seabee during WW2 was 37 years old, and many of them were WW1 veterans. Just proves that you don't want to pick a fight with an "Old Man"...

[alibi]

Guard duty has for the most part served a purpose and failure of guards or patrols to do their job has resulted in some military disasters. It could be said that the Lieutenant that said “Don’t worry about it.” to the radar operator in Hawaii that reported detecting a large formation of aircraft an example of letting his guard down.

I’ve heard many stories of incidents of guard duty some of which are likely true and some that are more likely fantasy. The one I heard several versions of is the guard sleeping on post that awakens to detect someone standing near him and says, “Amen” and then challenges or acknowledges the person.

I first encountered the general orders as a collector of militaria. When I was in high school we memorized the then 10 general orders, but what has stayed with me is “How’s the cow?” a non-sense recitation of a memorized response, that it seemed important to say as fast possible to make it even more meaningless. Another of these was “What time is it?” which response was a similar nonsensical response that I never fully learned.

After I was inducted into the Army we memorized the three general orders, which I recognized as revised consolidations of the 10 general orders. The first occasion I actually pulled guard duty was in Military Police AIT at Ft. Gordon. My duty was to guard a small exchange facility and my recollection is that there was no instructions, no one to call or any way to call, and I wore a helmet liner (which presumably would provide protection from an assailant) and an pick handle. On another occasion I was assigned guard duty in a closed motor pool with another trainee. Sometime after dark he started yelling there was someone in one of the trucks, we made a brief search, and I tried to phone the NCO of the guard and got no answer. My “partner” then started yelling that someone in the yard again, and we went through the same drill. When I went back to the gate to call it happened the NCO of the guard pulled up to the gate in a quarter ton. As I was reporting to him the “events” I got the distinct impression he wanted to say “Don’t worry about it.” and drove off. I’m convinced that the other guy that sounded the alarm was bored and never saw anyone except in his imagination.

The general orders have changed over time. The “Manual of Interior Guard Duty, United States Army, 1914” GPO, 1914, illustrates how seriously guard duty was taken and that there were twelve general orders for sentinels. The 9th order “To allow no one to commit a nuisance on a near my post” has always intrigued me as to the precise meaning of “nuisance” in this order. This manual goes on to define in great detail what each of the general orders mean and the correct response by sentinels, but omitted defining nos. 9 and 10.

[Guamsst]

We seem to only have one general order now.

General Order #1 No Drinking, No screwing, no gambling, no dirty pictures, no alcohol, no sex, no imbibing, no fornication, no porn......whatever you do, do not have a good time in the desert.

I may have broken one or more sections of that rule. Oddly enough, while researching my defense....LOL I found out you can do those things on a U.S. government owned Aircraft or Ship. Unfortunately I had limited access to both.

[Art]

We seem to only have one general order now.

General Order #1 No Drinking, No screwing, no gambling, no dirty pictures, no alcohol, no sex, no imbibing, no fornication, no porn......whatever you do, do not have a good time in the desert.

I may have broken one or more sections of that rule. Oddly enough, while researching my defense....LOL I found out you can do those things on a U.S. government owned Aircraft or Ship. Unfortunately I had limited access to both.

Back in the day when I was in, the Army actively or passively promoted every one of those, especially if you happened to be deployed to some foreign cesspool. Times do change. Oh, I never did memorize all those general orders. You are correct though, about the desert as far as we can glean from our son, no fun allowed.

[Griff Murphey]

Look at it this way, the present wars may be the first wars we as a nation fought where you could pretty well say everybody was largely substance-free. Also with an all-volunteer force I would say when we went in on Desert Storm with an untried force, it was probably the most well-trained untried force we ever began a war with. Compare with WW-2 where I would say it would not be unusual or impossible for a draftee to be in combat within a few months of being drafted.

[Michaelp]

Excellent observation.

[blackhawknj]

The Army had reduced the 11 General Orders to 3 when I enlisted in June, 1967. Starting in early 1971 when I was in Germany we didn't take weapons on Guard Duty, one consequence of the Vietnam Bungle was that it gave the brass heartburn and anguish to have the troops armed with weapons and live ammo.