In chapter 14, LT McDonough had to make the tough decision of arranging the transfer of the PSG (Sergeant Hernandez). LT McDonough did so because he suspected Sergeant Hernandez of violating one of the female Vietnamese women who were left in the patrol base when he left to lead the reconnaissance mission. There were many reasons as to why the LT’s decision was undesirable. Firstly, the platoon was already small to begin with and the absence of even one soldier was a significant loss of man/fire power. Sergeant Hernandez was a battle-tested NCO who really knew his stuff. Losing him meant losing valuable experience and expertise. The LT’s decision also jeopardized the operations of the platoon because Sergeant Robinson was put into the position of PSG even though he was obviously not the best one for the job. For example, Sergeant Robinson used his standing as PSG to excuse him from his jobs/roles and from going out on patrols. However, fully believe that the LT made the right choice and that the benefits of his decision outweigh the costs. Since the LT had doubts and suspicions about Sergeant Hernandez, he will never be able to trust him again. This could have been extremely detrimental going forward because all relationships are based on trust; once there is no trust, the team unity of the group severely diminishes. This could have been especially bad in the case of a major firefight where trust is key. Furthermore, if the LT’s assumptions were right, which we will never know, then in my opinion he definitely made the right decision. Everybody is human and nobody, including civilians, should be subjugated to horrendous treatment such as personal violation/violence. Doing so decreases the trust/rapport had between the military and the non-combatants.