HEADQUARTERS
DEPARTMENT OF THE ARMY
Washington, DC, 3 August 1984
This manual is dedicated to the soldier — the key to success on the battlefield. Wars are not won by machines and weapons but by the soldiers who use them. Even the best equipped army cannot win without motivated and well-trained soldiers. If the US Army is to win the next war, its soldiers must
be motivated by inspired leadership, and they must know how to do their jobs and survive on the battlefield.
This is the soldier’s field manual. It tells the soldier how to perform the combat skills needed to survive on the battlefield. These are basic skills that must be learned by soldiers in all military occupational specialties (MOS) Users of this manual may submit recommended changes or comments, referring to the page and line(s) of the text. Reasons should be provided to insure understanding and complete evaluation. Comments should be forwarded on DA Form 2028 (Recommended Changes to Publications) addressed to the Commandant, US Army Infantry School, ATTN: ATSH-I-V-PD, Fort Benning,
GA 31905. The words “he,” “him,” “his,” “man,” and “men,” when used in this publication, represent both the masculine and feminine genders, unless otherwise specifically stated.