Reilly was aware that if it came to public knowledge it would tarnish the image of the officers commanding the platoon, the company, the battalion, perhaps even the regiment; the officers might be made to appear incapable of controlling the conduct of the men in their commands.
And he commands the "Strike Platoon", a force of 20 men, most of whom once belonged to the special forces in Saddam Hussein's army.
"They have not attacked the oil refinery, because they don't want to damage their cash cow," said First Lt. Trent Teague, who commands the Third Platoon in Captain Da Silva's unit, the headquarters company of the First Battalion, 327th Infantry.
A few minutes later Majeske was killed, and Second Lieutenant George Roach, commanding the 3rd Platoon, again reported the situation and asked for an air strike.
The Rhodesian officer commanding the leading platoon, Second Lieutenant G B Mollett, took a section of men and dashed through the minefield to the summit; for this he later received the Distinguished Service Order.
He commanded a platoon on the front lines of the Battle of the Bulge in World War II.
During the Second World War he commanded a platoon of the Home Guard.
A native of Fredericksburg, Tex., General Hagee is a soft-spoken Vietnam veteran who has commanded marines from the platoon and company level to his current West Coast headquarters job.
The best in the way of a story that has been managed by Joseph I. Breen Jr. is a running feud between a hard-bitten captain and a raw "shavetail" who takes command of the platoon.
Charlton took command of the platoon and reorganized it for another attack.
He then commanded a platoon for several months, when the regiment was stationed along the Maginot Line, before being promoted to the rank of Captain in January 1940 and joining the staff at Allied Headquarters.
