Section IV. LITTER CARRIES
3-25. THE LITTER SQUAD
A litter squad is normally composed of four bearers. The fatigue produced by
long and frequent carries is increased when the weight of the loaded litter is shared by
fewer than four men. The litter team, however, can be composed of more or fewer
members based upon the military situation and the distance and terrain to be covered.
This section gives instructions for performing some common carries using a four-man
litter squad. In the illustrations, the bearers are numbered for ease of reference. The
leader of the litter squad is bearer one.
3-26. OPENING A STANDARD COLLAPSIBLE LITTER
If a standard collapsible litter is closed (collapsed) and secured with two litter
securing straps, the following steps can be used to prepare the litter for use.
a. Two bearers position themselves at the ends of the litter and lift the closed
litter.
b. The other two bearers position themselves on opposite sides of the litter
near the middle, undo the litter securing straps (figure 2-25), and step back. They are
not needed to complete the opening of the litter.
Figure 3-25. Undoing the litter securing straps.
MD0001
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