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During his first few days in Vietnam, LT McDonough came into contact with a number of other soldiers, both new to the country, and battled-hardened veterans. The one interaction that stood out to me was LT McDonough approaching the other Lieutenant and trying to get a better understanding of what it was actually like out in the field. However, LT McDonough was startled by the apparent madness and psychological ills that had inflicted the Lieutenant. As Aidan pointed out earlier, it looks as if LT McDonough had all the tools necessary to succeed before arriving in Vietnam. He had been to a number of army schools, including ranger school, and had endured hours of hard training. Before this encounter, he had only thought about the physical consequences of war, but was now exposed to new possible outcomes and uncertainties. I do not think that LT McDonough could have been prepared for this. He did what all others do in a new situation, and was asking for advice from those who had previously gone before him. I could not see how he could have prepped for this, other than going through it himself. Put differently, the army attempts to prepare you physically, but can fall short in preparing you for the mental hardships of war.

However, I feel that one can prepare for meeting someone like LT Rolfe. As Will pointed out earlier, this officer did not embody a true leader, or exemplify the moral compass that a U.S. Military Officer should have. Instead of caring for his subordinates and the mission he was there to accomplish, he cared more for his own self preservation. Unfortunetely, there are people both in the army and outside of the army that are like LT Rolfe, and I’m sure that many of us know someone that resembles this officer. Therefore, we should be ready for the possibility of running into this type of person in the future.