Black Hearts By Jim Frederick Sparknotes

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The Effective Military Leader Warrant Officer Romero, Philip T. SPC: Captain Dearth, 1st Platoon The book “Black Hearts One Platoons Descent into Madness in Iraq’s Triangle of Death” by Jim Frederick is a true story about multiple leadership failures and six United States Soldiers from 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 502nd Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division who were convicted for their involvement in horrible crimes while deployed to Iraq. The horrific acts including rape as well as murder committed by the soldiers of 1st platoon were a direct result of poor military leadership. Bad leadership will corrupt any military unit. It is vital that the military uses history to their advantage, whether it is good or bad, in …show more content…

Accountability coincides with expectations, if something is expected from a subordinate and they do not meet that expectation, it is a problem. The book “Black Hearts” mainly focuses on an atrocious offense that took place in Iraq during March of 2006. Four United States Soldiers were under the influence of alcohol while guarding a traffic control point. While drunk on post, the soldiers planned to commit a crime. The soldiers left their assigned guard post in the cover of the night and made their way to a house in a small Iraqi village. They raped a fourteen-year-old Iraqi girl named Abeer then proceeded to murder Abeer, her younger sister, and their parents. The soldiers then poured kerosene on Abeer’s lifeless body and lit her on fire. They turned on the kitchen’s propane tank in attempt to blow up the house and cover up the crime scene. The four soldiers then ran back to their traffic control point. At first, they were winded, nervous, and scared but once their safety took hold, they started celebrating. They cheered of how “great” what they had accomplished was. All of the soldiers that were involved to include those that knew about the crime were eventually convicted by either civilian court or military courts martial resulting in dishonorable discharge, administrative separation, and prison sentences that range from 27 months to life in prison. If one of the soldiers would have held the others accountable by stopping them or by notifying the chain of command, the acts that occurred on that day may have been prevented. It is important that a culture of accountability is constantly fostered. An environment where military members account for themselves as well as others will have a powerful positive impact. Accountability is a must have for all effective