1968 VIETNAM ERA U.S. ARMY

[Music] the man we want to talk about may come from any one of a number of sources from the military academy at west point a career officer just starting out or from the rotc program of any one of many colleges and universities from coast to coast he may have received a commission from the national guard of his home state all for that matter have received a direct commission from the enlisted ranks or he may have enlisted specifically for office's candidate training and a commission in the army but wherever this man comes from his job is basic to the success of the united states army in combat his skill and ability his leadership these things his men and his commanders and the nation depend upon and if they do so with confidence that confidence is well placed because he is good at his job he has met standards of excellence and mastered a complexity of arms equipment and tactics completely unknown to his counterpart of years past he is today better trained better equipped and more professionally competent than ever before in the army's long history he knows his job and the importance of it he is the platoon leader okay move out [Music] [Applause] [Music] [Applause] [Music] by far the largest single source of platoon leaders in today's army is the infantry officers candidate school at fort benning georgia but the fact is even the man who already has lieutenant's bars from west point rotc or other sources must receive training here at fort benning before he can command an infantry platoon in combat or in a combat ready unit so whether he's here for the full 23 weeks of ocs or the shorter combat platoon leaders course he's got a busy time ahead of him as a general rule he'll be on the go from six in the morning until 10 at night except for the long days there is after all an awful lot to learn [Music] physical conditioning is an important part of the training especially in the early weeks the job of platoon leader is one that demands physical stamina strength agility [Music] it's no line of work for a strong back in the weak mind but the bodily strength has to be there along with the ability to think quickly and clearly under stress so the early morning runs on the obstacle course and the calisthenics all work toward one goal to build reserves of endurance against the time what endurance may be the key to survival and victory in combat [Music] the general rule of double timing to classes helps in the physical conditioning but its main purpose is simply to save time the schedule is tight and there are a lot of classes all of them important what are the two basic responsibilities of all leaders candidate burns sir candidate burn take care of my men and to get the job done sure exactly right the accomplishment of the mission and looking out for the men's welfare the two basic responsibilities of any leader however if you must select one which one would you choose and why candidate helping sir can it happen i feel that they are equally important okay i'll buy that sure however if a conflict exists to take care of his men a basic principle no potential leader can ignore [Music] at the same time he must know how to take care of himself all right that's how it's done remember those of you that are doing the throwing straighten your legs fast and hard and pull down with both hands those of you that are falling do not fall with a stiff arm you will not break your fall you'll only break your arm let's go even in this day of satellites and intercontinental missiles there are times and places in which a combat soldier may have to depend on the primitive deadlines of his hands feet and elbows for self-defense a platoon leader must master all the 20th century technology has made available to the foot soldier he must also be adept in skills with weapons like the bayonet which have been familiar to generations of men under arms what's on i can't pull and that gentlemen when you give a command sound like it you know what you're doing bring it up from here keep in mind you're giving a command and not requesting something candidate spark sergeant candidate sports report for instruction platone a chance pool sergeant candidate sparks reports find the platoon for close order drill take charge your platoon and systematically is exposed to the actuality of command he gets the feel of command and the only way it can be gotten through exercising the confidence the self-discipline and control the overall outlook which a good leader must have and always there are the watchful eyes of those charged with his development as a leader seeking out the signs of leadership searching for strength to build it up and for any weak points so that they can be corrected now sir candidate sparks questions to enter i can't hear you sir candidate fox's question come in sir candice sparks enforcement counseling take a seat sparks in each counseling session with his tactical officer the potential platoon leader is given the opportunity to see at firsthand the remarks on his instructor's observation report candidate sparks you're being counseled on your tour of duty as platoon sergeant the first half of last week yes sir first let me say this you're doing pretty well academically you seem to be on top of the material you learn fast yes sir there's one thing notice you may have noticed from this observation report when in a command position you seem to go easy i'm afraid i don't understand sir you try to play it as if you were just one of the boys when in a command situation you take command you can't do it gingerly i think i see what you mean sir the men you lead will have buddies they won't look to you to be a buddy they'll look to you to take command you may be only 21 years old but to the men you lead you'll be the old man if you're not you'll be letting them down may as well get used to it that's the name of the game yes sir the name of the game is leadership and the development of this quality is the focus of every moment of the training schedule the leaders reaction course is one ingenious aspect of this unending effort to uncover and cultivate the qualities of leadership its purpose is to reveal how well a man can conceive and give the orders a given situation calls for how well he can analyze a problem find a workable answer and then organize the men under him to get the job done each problem is solvable sometimes in more ways than one but none of the solutions come easy and time is always short in groups of ten the potential platoon leaders take a series of problems in turn for each task the group splits in half five men to attack the problem itself and five to harass the work party try to confuse them these pilings represent the remains of a bridge which has been destroyed by enemy nuclear artillery your survey meter indicates the portions of these filings and the stream have been contaminated you are part of a squad operating in enemy territory one of your party the dummy here has been critically wounded in the back you know that on the other side of the stream there is a stretcher which you will need to transport your wounded comrade back across the stream tough problems to be solved in limited time and under pressure no instructions on how to do it just that it can be done with what's on hand if they work it right the rest is up to them it's designed to reveal strengths and weaknesses and it does it happens like this okay your squad has been sent back to get a drum of gasoline you observed in a rear area during your advance when you cross a stream on your way to get the gasoline this bridge was intact however since then enemy artillery has destroyed the center portion this is your only way of getting across the swift river you must take the drum of gasoline the planks and the rope with you as equipment to do this you may use only the four planks and the rope which you will find on your span of the bridge no one plank will span this gap you cannot touch the ground under the bridge because it's quicksand any object allowed to touch the water will be swept away by the force of the current no jumping is allowed alpha team under the leadership of candidate howard again works [Music] [Music] so [Music] careful don't lose it [Music] [Music] get back [Music] okay let's go [Music] i'm gonna go [Music] okay [Music] all right [Music] thank you get out there got it [Music] okay we're almost finished overall it was a real fine job the leader candidate howard was in charge throughout the plan you came up with was clear logical concise to the point however the successful completion of the mission could be attributed to the teamwork everyone working well together you had a good sense of urgency good sense of drive enthusiasm and that's what it takes to complete any mission some groups make it others wind up in the water either way what they learn is important and the learning goes on basics like map reading there's intensive work on this cross-country navigation is a frequent necessity for the combat platoon leader he has to know and know for sure the price of guesswork comes too high [Music] [Music] nowadays a platoon leader also needs to know the tricks of reading what is significant in a photograph taken by reconnaissance aircraft and inevitably the ever-present necessities and procedures of army paperwork administration too is part of the job of a platoon leader [Music] the platoon leader also has to know quite a variety of weapons in his chosen line of work he must know all the firepower available to the combat leader the 45 caliber pistol the m14 rifle the infantryman's personal weapon the light high-powered m16 much favored for close action in jungle country [Music] the reliable and potent m60 machine gun and more a lot more the 50 caliber machine gun [Music] and the hand grenade [Music] the flamethrower and then on to the big punch firepower a 90 millimeter recoilless rifle and it's hard-hitting big brother the 106. the indispensable reliable 81 millimeter mortar and on up from there to the armored punch of the 90 millimeter tank gun and the still heavier 105 millimeter and finally for long range accurate fire support the howitzers the 105 and the sunday punch 155 all in all quite an array of firepower and the platoon leader must be familiar with the full spectrum of it just as important as firepower is mobility and every potential platoon leader gets a thorough orientation on all the modes of tactical mobility available to infantry forces in fact a basic orientation on the maintenance of standard vehicles is part of the curriculum the platoon leader also needs to know the performance capabilities of the machines which will move him and his men he needs to know and he is shown wherever he may need to go there is army transport that can get him there [Music] but there is terrain which makes ground transport impractical for this too there is an answer the army [Music] helicopter [Music] firepower mobility and the third major essential of combat effectiveness communications here too there is a wide range of equipment to fill specific needs at one end of the spectrum the familiar field telephone equipment and from there through the light and powerful man-carried field radios and on to the vehicle-mounted fm equipment the function of command as the platoon leader of today knows it is virtually impossible without them to command any unit a leader must be able to do two things first know what's going on and second tell his people what they have to do both are wrapped up in the single word communications surely swiftly today's platoon leader can receive reports from the field pass on orders from above or give orders of his own and the specialized language called for is a study all its own roger wilco out roger wilkel wrong we never use roger wilkel together what do you mean when you use the pro word roger i have received your transmission i have received your transmission satisfactorily what do you mean when you use the pro word wilco i will comply i will comply before you can comply you first have to receive it understand it and then comply again never use the pro words roger wilkel together nor were the pro words over and out he used together because they have opposite meaning you picked up this roger wilcover out when you were looking at your tv show remember they're dealing in cereal and cold tap as an infantry platoon leader you're dealing in real estate in human lives a laugh or two helps keep things moving but the potential platoon leader never loses sight of the fact that his instruction all of it is aimed at preparing him to lead men into combat [Music] as his training progresses he finds himself functioning in the position of command in various field exercises he gets a realistic taste of what it's like to have in his charge a group of able and trusted men to have the responsibility of guiding their actions so that the mission is accomplished to be in fact the old man [Music] romeo six this is romeo three six over this is romeo three six papa lima pear i say again papa lima pear over [Music] his objective a remote village his mission search and clear call the villagers flying knife a message in the villager's own language informs them that the village is surrounded and that it must be searched exact instructions are given to the people assuring their safety if they comply [Music] the villagers will gather in one part of the village while only the head of each household remains in front of his hut the platoon leader has been taught how to use his men to ensure each step of the way with firepower he does so the approach is made by the numbers but this is no dry school book exercise the numbers themselves have evolved out of hard specific combat experience nothing can be assumed nothing left to chance he sends in his fire support element first to make a brief check and provide security for the searchers that will follow [Music] he's trained to know what to look for and the likely places to look [Music] in searching a house he's been taught the wisdom of having the head of the house go along effective insurance in case of booby traps it's also wise to keep a close eye on the villager maybe it's training but it's realistic and the outcome depends in large part on his alertness his know-how his estimate of the situation the rightness of his decisions and orders his are the eyes that must see it all and make sure it all goes right [Music] [Music] as the long weeks of intensive work have passed each potential platoon leader has steadily grown in skill in knowledge in confidence and experience he's come to know himself and his hidden reserves of stamina better than he would have thought possible he has learned the responsibilities and the satisfactions of command at least he has begun [Music] to you