General Orders for Sentries is the official title of a set of rules governing military guard duty. While any guard posting has rules that may go without saying ("Stay awake", for instance), these orders are carefully detailed and particularly stressed in the United States Navy and United States Marine Corps. Also known as the "11 General Orders" or simply "The General Orders", the list is meant to cover any possible scenario a sentry might encounter on duty. The United States Navy (USN) is the branch of the United States armed forces responsible for naval operations. ... United States Marine Corps Emblem The United States Marine Corps (USMC) is a branch of the U.S. military. ... A Guard may be a person or an organisation. ...

Recruits learn these orders verbatim while at boot camp and retain the knowledge to use for the remainder of their military careers. It is not uncommon for a Drill Instructor or (after boot camp) an inspecting officer to ask a question such as, "What is your sixth general order?" and expect an immediate reply. U.S. Army recruits learn about bayonet fighting skills in an infantry Basic Combat Training at Fort Benning, Georgia. ... A Drill Instructor, Drill Sergeant, or Military Training Instructor is a non-commissioned officer in the armed forces with specific duties that vary by country. ... In military organizations, an officer is a member of the service who holds a position of responsibility. ...

Navy and Marine Corps

The General Orders for Sentries are quite similar between the Navy and Marine Corps, with the main differences being the titles of positions that are referenced in the orders.

The General Orders for Marines are as follows:

• 1. Take charge of this post and all government property in view.
• 2. Walk my post in a military manner, keeping always on the alert and observing everything that takes place within sight or hearing.
• 3. Report all violations of orders I am instructed to enforce.
• 4. Repeat all calls from posts more distant from the guardhouse than my own.
• 5. Quit my post only when properly relieved.
• 6. 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.
• 7. Talk to no one except in the line of duty.
• 8. Give the alarm in case of fire or disorder.
• 9. Call the Corporal of the Guard in any case not covered by instructions.
• 10. Salute all officers and all colors and standards not cased.
• 11. 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.

General Orders for the Navy are essentially the same, except for the wording of two orders: Look up post in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In military organizations, the commanding officer (CO) is the officer in command of a military unit. ... A non-commissioned officer (sometimes noncommissioned officer), also known as an NCO or noncom, is a non-commissioned member of an armed force who has been given authority by a commissioned officer. ... Corporal is a military rank (equivalent to NATO Rank Code OR-4) in use by several militaries of the world. ... A salute is a gesture or other action used to indicate respect. ... Flag ratio: 10:19 Stars and stripes redirects here. ... Ensign of the Imperial Japanese Navy. ...

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

Also note that although the Marine Corps no longer preceeds each order with the word "To"[1], Navy usage retains it. In the U.S. Navy and the Royal Navy, a petty officer is similar to noncommissioned officer. ... Officer of the Deck (OOD) is a position in the United States Navy that confers certain authority and responsibility. ...

Army

The United States Army uses a condensed form of orders, with three basic instructions: US Army Seal HHC, US Army Distinctive Unit Insignia The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ...

• 1. I will guard everything within the limits of my post and quit my post only when properly relieved.
• 2. I will obey my special orders and perform all of my duties in a military manner.
• 3. I will report violations of my special orders, emergencies, and anything not covered in my instructions to the commander of the relief.

Air Force Security Forces

The Air Force Security Forces also uses a condensed form, with three basic instructions: An air force is a military organization that primarily operates in air-based war. ... Combatants {{{combatant1}}} {{{combatant2}}} Commanders {{{commander1}}} {{{commander2}}} Strength {{{strength1}}} {{{strength2}}} Casualties {{{casualties1}}} {{{casualties2}}} Air Force Security Forces, 3P0X1 - Security Forces is the military police and base infantry branch of the United States Air Force. ...

• 1. I will take charge of my post and protect all personnel and property for which I am responsible until properly relieved.
• 2. I will report all violations of orders I am instructed to enforce and contact my immediate supervisor in any case not covered by instructions.
• 3. I will sound the alarm in any case not covered by instructions.

Supplemental "orders"

From time to time troops using these general orders will create new ones, used jokingly among themselves. The most famous one (commonly referred to in the Navy and Marines as the 12th General Order, and as the 4th General Order in the Army and Air Force) is, "To walk my post from flank to flank and take no shit from any rank."

External links

• Marine Corps General Orders
• Army General Orders