When the young lieutenant at the end of the operation made the “take the Gooks to the CP” comment it was clearly more striking. Not only was LT McDonough taking advice from Killigan who originally stated LT McDonough’s response earlier in chapter 19, but LT McDonough realized that the lines of ethics are getting far too blurry, which is especially true considering the previous conversation he had with the PLT medic he suspected of executing one of the enemy. It has certainly been a winding ride throughout the deloyment when it came to ethics. Moreover, it allows for the young lieutenant who made the derogatory comment to understand his position, emotional intelligence, and how both affect the actions of his soldiers. Furthermore, this statement was for both the young lieutenant and LT McDonough. It almost creates a sense that, even though LT McDonough has seen the brutality of war, it only takes one honorable statement from an NCO to remind him of his ethics. It allows LT McDonough not to dehumanize the enemy, thereby influencing his soldiers not to dehumanize the enemy as well. It was clear that LT McDonough had thoughts about doing just that throughout chapter, especially when he speaking of the pleasure of survival after seeing the dead bodies from the assault. In addition, this helps the young lieutenant get a sense that he too is blurring the lines of ethics and what it means to live honorably, which can cause various issues regarding his soldiers. The young lieutenant was clearly not controlling his emotions, which can cause a downward spiral among his soldiers if such behavior persists.