In chapter 14, LT McDonough chooses to disobey direct orders and intervein in the business of the South Vietnamese police officers assigned to his platoon. At the time, the police officers had the Vietnamese civilians in pushup positions, while they abused their legs by smacking them with bamboo staves as a form of punishment. Once LT McDonough noticed that his soldiers were starting to pay attention to the interrogation techniques of the Vietnamese Police, he was unable to allow the interrogation to continue. His sense of what is right and wrong forced him to make a stand for what he believed in, as well as go against his direct orders to not interfere with the police force. While his interruption of Due and his partner created somewhat of a spectacle for the platoon, I think that McDonough did the right thing at the moment. However, his actions could seriously dilapidate the relationship he has with the Vietnamese police force, and could lead to an issue with higher command due to his dissidence. Personally, I think this is somewhat of a slippery slope for the LT. If he strains his relationship with Due and his partner, he may never be able to rely on them for accurate and reliable information in the future. However, if he allowed Due to continue with his interrogation, McDonough would have to live with the fact that he allowed presumedly innocent civilians to be subjected to interrogation techniques that would be grossly illegal in the United States. While the laws of the United States don’t apply in the bush of Vietnam, I think it was smart of LT McDonough to hold himself to a higher moral standard than his Vietnamese comrades.