Originally posted by Enfield:
[qb]... I think, SoF, that your running into the distinction between offciers and NCM‘s. Officers decide how and where to apply the violence, and the NCM‘s apply it. In combat, an officer should not have to fire a shot - he has more important things to do.
No, O‘s do not do QL courses - though officer training is the same as doing QL2, 3, QL4 Recce, MG, JNCO, and QL6B - plus more. An Officer‘s job description does not include digging trenches, firing MG‘s, kicking down doors, etc. [/qb]
A good response, Enfield. To your first point, I‘d like to add, for illustration, a question I often posed for junior infantry officers -- mostly commanding, or about to command, rifle platoons:
Q: "What is the platoon commander‘s weapon?"
Some would suggest a rifle, others a pistol, some an SMG (showing my age, now!
)
The correct answer: "His/her platoon"
As a platoon commander, if you had to fire your weapon, often as not, you had done something wrong. You should be fighting your platoon against the enemy -- not being just another rifleman.
Often, however, your job as an officer is to lead by personal example. The difference between a manager and a leader, for example can be distilled into two words: "Follow me!"
When the troops are face down in the mud, with bullets whistling over their backs, you‘re job is to get them moving. The most effective way is simply to get up, shout "follow me" and move out.
When fighting in built-up areas, especially in room-to-room fighting there often comes a time when the platoon commander (heck, even company commanders) is intimately involved in the fighting -- acting as an extra rifleman, tossing grenades, clearing rooms and covering arcs.
Although officers do not normally man machine guns, break down doors, they normally do take a turn at the shovel -- although they don‘t usually have time to dig a whole trench -- and they do learn how to do all of that stuff in the 1 or 2 years of training it takes to learn the job.
By the time a 2Lt takes command of a rifle platoon he/she will have humped a GPMG and a .50 cal, and an anti-tank weapon, and all other company level weapons for miles and miles on training. He/she will have sent many live rounds down range qualifying on all platoon and company weapons.
Then, the fun begins. Learning how to think tactically, how to lead the world‘s best soldiers, motivate them to victory, orchestrate the battle and seize the day.
It is, definitely, the best job in the world!
I am going soon to the recruiting center to have my personal interview to enter the RMC. I am extremely prepared for this.
