No, LT McDonough does not overcome his fear. After being wounded by a booby trap when he first got to his unit made all of his preconceptions about Vietnam real, which made his levels of anxiety and fear even worse. What’s more, while he was wounded and at the rear all he saw was other wounded soldiers and all he heard was stories about other Lieutenants being wounded or killed, especially when he was speaking to Bradshaw. Then, when he went back to LZ North English, he had to tend to a wounded Lieutenant, who was on the eve of his departure, because a fellow soldier thought it was a good idea to throw a grenade at the sergeant major’s bunker to scare him. The Lieutenant was hit by shrapnel in the neck and stomach. This only reminded LT McDonough that the “Grim Reaper” was everywhere in Vietnam and the odds were in his favor. Thus, once he got back to his platoon, the level of anxiety and fear he was attempting to control made him feel clumsy as he went around getting his gear. Moreover, when LT McDonough and his platoon went out on an ambush mission, all McDonough could think about is stepping on another booby trap. Then, once the platoon was in position for the ambush, McDonough’s compass fell out and hit rock creating a metallic clanging that sounded like a booby trap, which forced McDonough to yell, “booby trap!” This caused the entire platoon to move to a second location and could have easily gave away their current position.

I also believe that these fears can never be overcome, only tolerated, thus, controlled. Everybody fears something, whether it’s inherent or not. The only way you can possibly get through fear is to step-back, self-regulate, attempt to control the situation, and not attempt to control whatever it is that you can’t control.

I believe that tolerating fear through self-control/regulation is something that leaders can prepare for. When you’re in a combat environment, you must be confident in your ability to react properly. You must be able to effectively adapt to the situation in order to complete the mission and to get yourself and your men home.

-Steven