Killing the enemy and taking ground��it's our job

Dear ARMOR,

Today, I read the best and most relevant article that I have had the good fortune to read in ARMOR magazine, and there have been plenty of good ones over the past 25 or so years. Without doubt, Captain Michael R. Nakonieczny's article, "Preparing for the Realities of Killing the Enemy and Taking Ground," in the March-April 2005 issue takes first prize.

He succinctly takes the reason for our being combat officers and explains it, stripped of all the bull we are so accustomed to hearing--just the realities of the most important responsibility we have. Furthermore, at this particular juncture in the history of both our Nation and Army, we need to hear this very clearly. Thank you captain, you did it very well, mission accomplished; so well, that "Preparing for the Realities of Killing the Enemy and Taking Ground;' should be a reading requirement for every officer attending the basic or advance course (or any other course for that matter) at the beginning of the course and again before they graduate from the course. They all would read it, know it, and live it, which is important--it is the warrior ethos. In fact, I would highly recommend that all combat branch officers attending all advanced military education/training be required to do the same, be it the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, the U.S. Army War College, or wherever. We are different, whether we wear branch insignia or not!

We are an Army of one, but in the Army, this is our job!

JOSEPH C. KOPACZ

COL, U.S. Army, Retired

COPYRIGHT 2005 U.S. Army Armor Center
COPYRIGHT 2005 Gale Group