We Were Soldiers, Reading I

In this first section of this book, we see several very crucial examples of what it means to be a good leader, through LTC Moore's example. First and possibly most important is his theory of "decentralized command", as he calls it. By giving more responsibility to the NCOs and alloweing them more freedom of action, he is maximizing the flexibility and adaptability of his command, which is especially crucial since he knows he is going to be short-handed, both in manpower as well as in other resources, such as his Hueys. Moore is clearly in command, and well respected by his men, which also will be crucial, because as we begin to see, the intelligence theyve been given is not the best, and this respect his men have for him will be tested as his men struggle to adapt to the unexpected. Essentially, Moore is giving his men the flexibility they need to adapt to situations, while also inspiring a confidence in his men that will give them the decisiveness of action to follow through on his plans, even in the face of unknown odds.