Night Falls, Friendly Fire

I will always place the mission first;

I will never accept defeat;

I will never quit;

I will never leave a fallen comrade.

The Warrior Ethos is the summary of what it takes to be a soldier. Throughout this section of the book, there are a couple of glaring examples of the men exemplifying the Ethos. One such example is "the lost platoon." These men were cut off from everyone else, totally surrounded, and all but seven were dead or wounded. Yet they still continued to fight on. They didn't complain or give up; they dug in and gave the North Vietnamese hell.

I think that the Ethos is vital to the cohesion of not only individual units, but also of the Army as a whole. If we did not have the Ethos as a guideline, everyone would have their own set of values and priorities. This would cause massive disorganization and would not be conducive to the smooth execution of any operation. They are also a reassuring factor to the individual soldier. In combat, everyone has to trust the man next to him to get through it. A soldier is much more likely to trust his comrades if he knows that they all share the same mindset and priorities.