Marches and Bivouacs

Marching is a common perception regarding military. Marching may be defined as synchronized and regulated walk. Military training is always accompanied by marches. Why is this so? Military training should prepare soldiers to endure long, hard foot marching in preparation for combat. It is a requirement to every soldier to easily move, fight and maneuver on foot. This training is very important in preparing themselves physically and mentally.

There is a difference between marching and walking. Walking is simply the natural way of displacing from one place to another. The movement is not regulated. Marching, on the other hand, is walking with regulated rate of marching, where commands are to be followed, and other rules to observe.

Bivouac is a military encampment made with tents or improvised shelters, usually without shelters or protection from enemy fire. This serves as the resting place or camp site of foot soldiers engaged in a long march from one destination to the next. The ideal camp site has plenty of clean water, grass turf, and is accessible to good roads. Pollution, dampness and underbrush are undesirable; however, at war time, troops may be forced to use any camp site, even the poorest.

These activities are also offered in the Military Science course. This served as the final examination and practical exercise of all lessons taught to the students. The cadets are expected to apply what they’ve learned in their military lectures from elementary map reading, small unit tactics, first aid, marksmanship and many more.

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