[speed_addiction]

I do have a question a guy with your experience can answer. When I watched the show I was surprised about the lack of clarity in the orders the squad leader gave to his troops and in his radio procedure with his platoon leader. The sqaud leader seemed to exert no real control over the squad beyond telling them they'd screw up and get killed. The scene did not compare with the depiction of the Rangers in Blackhawk Down, who while excited and under fire never lost control and kept their commands and directions on point.

I noticed that also. As a squad leader I usually kept a fire lit under my men's asses at all times when in the field or training. They knew me well enough that I could keep my orders short and brief. In the show though, this could be because the Sergeant had just gotten these guys. I was surprised that the commanders on the radio were not allowing the Sergeant who was in the middle of it all more input into what was to be done.

My first taste of any hostilities was jumping into Panama. We were scared and excited, but our NCOs never lost control of the men. Keeping discipline through example and sometimes just shear force of will.


With Howard Dean the dems have formally graduated from "disarray" to "debacle", with "irretrievable disaster" just around the corner.

[Bringbackthedraft]

Turned it on, commented to the wife: "This is like "Tour of Duty" updated to the Iraq War". Saw troops advancing in close frontal assault formation, turned it off. That was enough for me.

[xkaydet65]

THANX.

[Eagle Eye]

The squad leader was a substitute. Remember that he was short and got involuntarily extended on the last day (yeah, right) after he'd been there for a year.

That's why he wasn't motivated beyond self preservation and didn't know the troops.