Some Reservations in Retrospect

Roy Benson

 

 

One of the factors that I feel in retrospect may have been a mistake in conducting the war in Viet Nam was the assignment of officers in the field, specifically to those in the combat arms that were given the awesome responsibility of commanding combat units in combat. 

I am reasonably convinced now that the placement/assignment of officers, especially those at the battalion and lower levels, to short periods of command was not the best policy.  This was especially true for Captains, Majors, and Lieutenant Colonels.  By rotating these officers to command companies and battalions of the combat arms for periods of time that normally lasted only 4 – 6 months  our troops on the ground in harms way were more than likely denied the experience and leadership of  seasoned and battle tested leaders that may have in many instances saved lives or injuries. 

The example of my leaving B Company after only 5 months may be a good example.  In looking at our battalion situation, we had 3 different battalion commanders in my short 10 month tour.  In B Company, there were no less than 4 different company commanders during the same period of time.  Some would argue that we  (the officers) needed to change commanders that often because of the huge responsibilities and stress that came with the position of command.  After years of thinking about this, I find this explanation difficult at best to accept. 

In my humble opinion, the primary basis of changing commanders so often was self serving to ensure that these officers could “punch” the infamous ticket to get command duty for later promotions.  The SFC’s Watsons, Wilsons, Dudleys and troopers like Bill Tallerdy, Frank Greenleaf, and Terry Combs had no such luxury.  For the most part, most of these valiant men endured the entire year or tour of duty exposed to the daily threat and pressures of being injured or killed.  From their perspectives, the risks and stress were just as great on them as the officers they relied on to ensure that they got home safely.  

I am hopeful that future conflicts take into consideration the value and honor of the troops and not focus on the “ticket punching” of the officer corps purely for their future career benefit.  Our troops need the best trained and experienced leaders this nation can provide them.