I found it very bold the way LT McDonough inserted himself into the platoon right away. Typically, we are taught to gain an understanding of the oder of operations, and slowly work into the rhythm of the platoon. Instead, LT McDonough hit the floor running. As soon as he took over for LT Rolfe, he took a moment to gather his thoughts, and got right down to business. He knew the first actions he took was going to leave a lasting impression with his men, and he was not about to be seen as a weak leader on his first assignment. What he decided to focus on first was tactics, in particular, patrolling. As he stated, “Our mission in Vietnam was to control the countryside, but we could hardly do that if we stayed in the relative security of the platoon position.

In my opinion, this was a great first move on his part, by doing this, he right off the bat, proved to his subordinates that he was not going to sit back and take things lightly, unlike the previous PL. This, I was in support of, and was also in support of LT McDonough inserting himself into ever third patrol as well. The only criticism I would present to him was on his first ever patrol in country, if I were him, I don’t think I would have questioned the decisions of a “seasoned” NCO, SGT Donne, on whether or not to take a shot at possible VC. He had been in the fight far longer than LT McDonough had, and had a better sense for situations such as the one discussed in chapter 6.

Ultimately, I certainly respect the approach LT McDonough took when getting first acquainted with his platoon. He came in bold, but did not alter the cohesion of the platoon, he simply used what he knew as an attempt to increase the effectiveness of the platoon.