I took the message of the Leaders Handbook to heart: everything my unit does, or fails to do, is my responsibility alone. To some, I became a real PITA. Didn't care: if my neck was truly on the line, then stay the hell out of my way and let me do my job.
I got along so well with my last battalion commander in Germany (after a rocky start), he asked me to work for him when we both landed back at Fort Bliss, installing me as his Operations Officer, a young Captain in a position slotted for a Lt Colonel.
The Army is now inundated with Courtney Massengales, while Sam Damons are leaving the military in droves. They're putting officers in command positions that should not be allowed 100 yards within troops. When I was asked about a Battery Commander I had whom I was crosswise with, I'd simply say, "he's a great staff officer."
A platoon leader (PL) and platoon sergeant’s (PSG’s) primary job is to inspire and influence their platoon to accomplish the mission. They do this by providing purpose, direction, and motivation to accomplish the mission and improve the organization.1 PLs and PSGs are responsible for all missions their platoon accomplishes or fails. This responsibility comes with the position, but they are only successful because of character, presence, and intellect.
Notice that it says, repeatedly "A platoon leader and platoon sergeant"
It's not about the ego of the 2nd lieuie who thinks he is charge having run absolutely nothing in his life before this. It's a partnership between him and the sergeant who got where he is, for the most part [all human institutions are fallible], by proving he could do the job.
It's similar in the Navy and it was amusing to watch the Chief Petty Officers trying to deal with ringknocker Ensigns and convince them that they did not yet know everything there was to know about life.
“Our No. 1 task, bar none, remains readiness. Readiness for what? Readiness for war. Readiness for the intense combat of ground operations of any type, anywhere in the world. That is our task. And I can tell you that it has never been more important than it is today.”
— GEN Mark A. Milley, Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army, 10 October 2017
Well that is a lie because we now know that the no 1 task was to suppress the will of the people and get Trump out of office by any means possible, including arresting all of his supporters.