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Company Commander Summary

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position, however, the strain between the ranks compounded. In his book Company Commander, historian Charles B. MacDonald described his experience as a newly commissioned captain to a combat-experienced regiment during the Battle of the Bulge. Early in the campaign, after his first engagement as the company’s commander, MacDonald recalled, “I wondered what the men of my headquarters group thought of me as a company commander now? Had I been a complete failure? Had I done anything correctly? Was my fear as noticeable as I imagined it must have been?” His feeling of inadequacy subsided for a time, only to re-emerge further in his story. After being wounded and rotating back to a hospital for treatment and recovery, MacDonald again found himself a replacement commander, this time to a different company. MacDonald detailed several instances throughout Company Commander where he internally second-guessed himself after giving a particular order. Personal turmoil pepper his account of the campaign, and provide a glimpse into the mindset of a young, inexperienced officer during a tumultuous time. Part of being an effective leader is recognizing the inadequacies not only within yourself, but within your …show more content…

In the weeks after the 1st Marines’ campaign on Guadalcanal—when naval lines were secure enough to fill supply needs to the rear, but not sufficient as yet to meet the needs of the Marines on the front—Leckie details one instance where he and a fellow soldier snuck to the rear and crawled into the food dump in search of anything edible to take back to their comrades. While Leckie weaves a likeable story of cat-and-mouse with those set as guard to the food dump, the story does not overlook the dire situation of the Marines on the frontline, who had subsisted for weeks on worm-ridden rice taken from Japanese soldiers killed in

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10. Americans: MG Fredendall’s verbal orders were often vague and imprecise. (While a quote was an attempt at OPSEC over the phone, it was simply too unorthodox to be considered a proper movement order for an entire brigade sized element. Other examples also exist of Fredendall’s imprecise manner such as: “Go get ‘em at once….Go smash ‘em” and: “Everything is rosy”, the troops “went to town”).

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386 Words | 2 Pages

“Spin,” the third chapter of The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien begins by saying that the war “wasn’t all terror and violence.” O’Brien then proceeds to tell many brief stories that present good moments from the war. One of the short stories O’Brien narrates is about the soldiers' experience with an elderly Vietnamese man they referred to as a “poppa-san” who was hired to lead them through a field of landmines on the Batangan Peninsula for five days. The text says, “We enlisted an old poppa-san to guide us through the mine fields out on the Batangan Peninsula. The old guy walked with a limp, slow and stooped over, but he knew where the safe spots were and where you had to be careful and where even if you were careful you could end up like popcorn.”(32).

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578 Words | 3 Pages

Charley was only 15 when enlisted and had no idea what he was getting himself into. He was attracted to the high paying salary and the thought of being considered a man. Charley believed that the shooting war would be a fun adventure and the experience of a lifetime. It wasn’t

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1800 Words | 8 Pages

In order to inspire Soldiers to win in battle, Colonel Freeman understood he had to gain their trust. His presence at training as well as fighting alongside his unit members on the battlefield, instilled confidence and reinforced trust in his Soldiers. He provided encouragement and confidence to his team. An example of that confidence was during an attack, Colonel Freeman, his executive officer, and his Soldiers laid out their weapons and consolidated ammunition for the last stand. Colonel Freeman displayed an even temperament and convinced his Soldier to believe that the conditions were not as bad as the seemed and he still had control of their destiny.

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1428 Words | 6 Pages

The book On Desperate Ground was written by Hampton Sides, best known for his stories of war and daring expeditions. The topic of On Desperate Ground is the chilling tales of Marine soldiers who fought in the Korean War in the 1950s. The author’s purpose for this story is to educate readers through engaging, exciting Marine soldiers’ stories that the Korean War was one of the most dangerous and heroic operations in US history. I chose this book because I realized I knew very little about the Korean War and its importance in US history. Also, my grandfather later went to South Korea as part of a garrison there after the war, and seeing the pictures of what the area looked like made me even more interested in what had happened there years prior.

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845 Words | 4 Pages

To Lead Myself In the Third Chapter of Greg Hastings’s book Leadership Lessons from West Point – “You Must Lead Yourself First” he talks about three lessons he learnt in leadership during his time as a cadet – each at a different stage in his Cadet career. His first story talks about the time he got hours for participating in a spirit mission launched by an upperclassman in his company and how it taught him to lead himself while also following the lead of others.

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1174 Words | 5 Pages

Colder Than Hell: A Marine Rifle Company at Chosin Reservoir was written and published by Joseph R. Owen in 1996. This book gives us a riveting point-of-view of the early and uncertain days of the Korean War through the eyes of Owen himself, as a platoon leader (PL) in a Marine rifle company. As a PL of a mortar section in Baker-One-Seven-Baker Company, 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment- Owen witnessed his hastily assembled men of a few regulars and reservists (who to mention some that have not gone to boot camp) quickly harden into the superb Baker-One-Seven known today. He makes it known quickly (in the foreword and the preface) that some of the major problems he initially encountered was due to how unprepared his unit was. Owen makes the

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1488 Words | 6 Pages

Nevertheless he was pressed into acceptance. He soon found himself in trouble. The colonel found himself in trouble. The colonel gave an improper command, and the strict discipline of West Point forbade any improvisation, so Jackson’s company marched off the parade ground and straight through the town. The lieutenant’s explanation was illuminating and characteristic: He was obeying orders(Vandiver).

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572 Words | 3 Pages

As an inexperienced officer leading veteran soldiers, Captain Macdonald makes an effort to earn his men’s trust and overcome his uncertainty—two important factors that would lead him to much success. “I must give these men confidence in me despite the fact they know that I am inexperienced” (Macdonald 1999, 14). Countless engagements and embracing K-rations, undesirable conditions, and sickness with his men, finally brought him to the conclusion that “these veterans of Company I had accepted their replacement company commander” (Macdonald 1999, 77). This sense of confidence and mutual trust contributed to his company’s success throughout the war. Despite his acceptance, the men he served with were “cold, hungry, miserable infantrymen, scared as hell inside, but too brave to admit it” (Macdonald 1999,

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814 Words | 4 Pages

The Japanese guards tried their best to make the POW’s life harder than it needed to be. While being a prisoner at Marshall Islands,Louie along with other POWs weren’t given the nutrition they needed. In the text

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795 Words | 4 Pages

“There were thousands of Kantoreks, all of whom were convinced that they were acting for the best--- in a way that cost them nothing. And that is why they let us down so badly” (Remarque 12). Leadership plays an important role in every war, especially those of major importance. All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque has many examples of leadership on display. Three types of leadership displayed in the novel are Kantorek’s hypocritical leadership, Himmelstoss’s authoritarian leadership, and Kat’s pack leader qualities.

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633 Words | 3 Pages

In “Prayer in the Furnace,” Phil Klay demonstrates the cruelty of war times, and the severe consequences it has on its Marines. The war is so appalling that it leaves the Marines barely able to sleep due to nightmares, they have thoughts of suicide, and they are hardly alive due to the substandard state of their health. Rodriguez, a Marine, talks to a chaplain about the issues that he has. He “pulled a plastic sandwich bag full of little pills out of his cargo pockets and held it at eye level. ‘How do you think any of us sleep?’”

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1275 Words | 6 Pages

Captain Dennis Whittaker of The Royal Hamilton Light Infantry (RHLI) fought on the front line at The Battle of Dieppe. He explains how the officers had no real training. He said, “They simply played soldier on weekends. The CO, Colonel Bob Labatt, was a stockbroker.” Whittaker talks about Bob Labatt in the interview and emphasizes how he was very untrained and was not strategic or passionate about his job as a colonel.

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778 Words | 4 Pages

This statement given in the early part of the book represents the entire story is basically the lesson for book that I am able to take with me into my preferred field. Leaders are able to get a sense of learning how to properly manage plans and to understand how to better route situations that lead to less casualties. Which is the main focus of the book the military not being able to have a control of situations therefore making the

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1866 Words | 8 Pages

After the disastrous events of Pearl Harbor, World War II had finally succeeded its way into America, as well as filling its loyal citizens’ hearts with a vengeful desire against the bloody and gruesome Japanese. On a gory night in the year of 1945, medic Desmond T. Doss had the lucky chance to not only take part in avenging his country, but also in securing his own life by killing Japanese soldiers on the island of Okinawa in the Pacific. The enemy was close, sitting ducks in a hole resting just a few feet from where Doss sat. Though tempted by nearby grenades and a fairly easy kill, Doss decided to risk his own life and let these supposed “devils” live yet another day.

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