1894 Army Officer's Manual

[snopes]

Comment: I've seen a supposed quote from an 1894 Army Officer's Manual
that says "Enlisted men are stupid, but extremely cunning and sly, and
bear considerable watching."

I am unable to confirm this quote. Is it really true?

[ganzfeld]

This 1978 article from Air University Review mentions the quote as "reported" but gives no references. Other quotes have it as the 1898 US Army Officer's Manual or the 1904 Naval Officer's Manual. ETA -- The quote also appears in the 1978 Department of Defense Appropriations.

[Paveman]

Originally Posted by ganzfeld

This 1978 article from Air University Review mentions the quote as "reported" but gives no references. Other quotes have it as the 1898 US Army Officer's Manual or the 1904 Naval Officer's Manual. ETA -- The quote also appears in the 1978 Department of Defense Appropriations.

IIRC this is a quote originally attributed to George Washington and later published in officers manuals. My senior enlisted troops like to quote it to me to get a laugh. I'll find a good cite in a little bit if I'm not beaten to it.

[Paveman]

Originally Posted by Paveman

IIRC this is a quote originally attributed to George Washington and later published in officers manuals. My senior enlisted troops like to quote it to me to get a laugh. I'll find a good cite in a little bit if I'm not beaten to it.

Hmm. A UL in the making? I found others who belive this is a George Washington Quote but I couldn't find a quality source for this being attributed to G.W. I'll keep looking, but this may end up in the questionable quotes section.

[ASL]

I've heard a similar roomer about the first edition of the Naval Officer's Guide. So, which was it? US Army, British Army, US Navy?

Sounds like a UL.

[Malruhn]

Well, the class advisor to the Coast Guard Academy back in 1990-1994 was telling the cadets that, "enlisted men are back-stabbing bastards and are just setting themselves up to scuttle your career." This is from a direct quote from a cadet that had that Commander (O-5) as his advisor.

As for something similar being ancient (100 years or more), I can't help, but I can say that it is a very old attitude.

[Etienne]

The quote brought to memory a simillar one from the (British) Admiralty Manual of Seamanship, Vol II, 1967, but after checking, it's rather different:

(On survival after making land, following a shipwreck)

Natives. If the island is inhabited it will support life. Make friends with the natives and watch what they do and what they eat. Avoid close contact with them, don't sleep in their huts (which are probably bug-infested) and, above all, leave their women alone - they carry their own brand of venereal disease and will possibly have leprosy as well. Keep to your camp site, without being unfriendly, and post a sentry to look after your equipment. Natives will alway be tempted to steal if your equipment is left unguarded.

Emphasis mine. The British Navy, ladies and gentlemen.

Also, even less related, from higher in the page:

"Do not sleep under a coconut tree - a blow from a falling nut can be very painful, and sometime fatal if you are struck on the head"

I guess it's sound advice. /hijack.

[Sebbenth]

Originally Posted by Etienne

The quote brought to memory a simillar one from the (British) Admiralty Manual of Seamanship, Vol II, 1967, but after checking, it's rather different:

(On survival after making land, following a shipwreck)

Natives. If the island is inhabited it will support life. Make friends with the natives and watch what they do and what they eat. Avoid close contact with them, don't sleep in their huts (which are probably bug-infested) and, above all, leave their women alone - they carry their own brand of venereal disease and will possibly have leprosy as well. Keep to your camp site, without being unfriendly, and post a sentry to look after your equipment. Natives will alway be tempted to steal if your equipment is left unguarded.

Emphasis mine. The British Navy, ladies and gentlemen.

Also, even less related, from higher in the page:

"Do not sleep under a coconut tree - a blow from a falling nut can be very painful, and sometime fatal if you are struck on the head"

I guess it's sound advice. /hijack.

I think that although the things as written are definitely nasty, they might have been done so on purpose. It's easier to persuade a bunch of young adults to leave any natives alone by scaring tham with horrid STDs and nasty worms than by the force of pure reason.

"See? The book says that if you try to chase that gal your penis will turn brown and fall of in a matter of weeks. You think you're smarter than this book?"

I'm not saying that most US Navy recruits don't understand reasoning. However, some certainly don't.