FORT CAMPBELL, Ky.-Men who lead Army combat platoons into battle put their lives at great risk. They lead their men from the front, not from an underground command post in the rear. In any big war, they get killed and wounded by the thousands. The Vietnam conflict claimed many young platoon leaders. And such men will again be vulnerable if President Bush orders them to go to war against Iraq.
Despite all those dangers and the routine 12-hour work days they put in getting their troops ready for war, thousands of Army officers strive to become leaders of platoons. Why?
Platoon leader Matthew Hall, a son of Vietnam veteran Phillip Hall and his wife Barbara (see "Military families wait, wonder, worry," Feb. 21), is not sure whether he can put the answer into words. It's just a feeling young men like him have. They believe that the most challenging, the most demanding, and yet the most satisfying job in the world is the one that entails leading and caring for a group of young men whose lives depend on them.
"I wanted to start off as a light infantry platoon leader," said Hall, a 24-year-old 1st lieutenant, as he started to struggle with putting the why into words. "I don't think I'd have the opportunity in a mechanized infantry platoon"-where keeping tanks and other heavy stuff running is the focus of the platoon leader-"to get as down and personal as I do with the soldiers I have here.
"There's no greater privilege in the world than being able to work with these fine Americans," Hall said matter-of-factly. No flag-waving, just the facts, sir. "To lead an infantry platoon into combat...." He broke off the thought, apparently feeling that those who have not done it would not understand.
"It's what I always wanted to do," Hall continued. "I don't know if I could really explain it. From growing up until now, I've never wanted any other job than the job I have right now. I think it's just the ability to lead men in combat. There are few other occupations in the Army where you're so hands-on with your men. And you go forward with them."
About invading Iraq, Hall said, "I think it's the right thing to do." But, he explains, this war will come at a price. "When we do something like this, when we go ahead and deploy, my soldiers leave behind so much," including wives, children, parents, and friends. And one of the platoon leader's challenges, Hall said, is to get the soldiers to compartmentalize-to build a wall against the longings for their home life-and to concentrate on keeping themselves alive and killing the enemy. Soldiers who fail to compartmentalize often get themselves and others killed.
"Unfortunately, there is no manual" telling platoon leaders how to teach this, Hall said. "Part of my job is to make sure they are ready for combat by training them physically and mentally. They can't be thinking about whether their wives are OK" once the platoon deploys. "So we make every effort to make sure their home life is as best as it can be when we leave."
Honing his soldiers' combat skills is a job that never stops for a platoon leader, Hall added. "Everyone has to know his own job and the guy's next to him." And, with so many lives at stake in combat, everybody in the platoon has to practice shooting his weapon straight.
Looking ahead to the possibility of fighting in Iraq, Hall sees his biggest challenge as taking care of his men "and making sure I bring all 14 of them home-that we all come home together, regardless of the situation."
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