I think that post is being too soft on Encino Man😁 The “danger close” incident, the tinting his windows & reading the map wrong causing Bravo to end up in the rear, not challenging Godfather on unsurrendering Iraqi soldiers, (even if Godfather hadn’t changed his mind, the act of putting forth an alternative would have helped morale), praising McGraw for bayoneting prisoners of war and later, getting McGraw’s Marines take the blame when someone complained, it was all Schwetje.
We have the example of Captain Patterson- he got the same BS orders from higher ups as Encino Man and yet he was a way superior officer than Encino Man. As for Nate, he HAD to respect Schwetje, the military is notorious for strict rank hierarchies to foster discipline. Capt Patterson didn’t have to respect him and so he could punch him in front of all the men. I think if Schwetje was half as good a combat commander as Capt Patterson, Nate would have been court martialled for disobeying orders to go out into the city at night. The fact that a Lieutenant wasn’t punished for such blatant disobedience, that too over comms, speaks to the higher ups knowing Schwetje was messing up.
Schwetje really had no legs to say Nate was going to fuck them both when Schwetje had been the one “fucking” up things from the beginning. Nate’s more vocal pushback was going to reflect poorly on Schwetje, yes, but Nate wouldn’t have been vocally pushing back IF Schwetje had been a better officer.
Not saying that higher ups weren’t messing up royally, but if a mere Lieutenant could parse the bullshit and keep his men as priority, it shouldn’t be that hard for a more experienced superior officer. But Nate is Infantry and Infantry officers, across nations, tend to make for better combat officers.
Also, Generation Kill, the book and show both, didn’t cover it but Schwetje in real life suspended Gunnery Sgt Mike Wynn and almost caused Bravo to revolt. Nate impressed on Encino Man the need to not have a platoon’s mutiny in his resume and the crisis was averted.
There is a gorgeous passage in One Bullet Away about Schwetje leading the men in drill and the men half assing it and when Gunny Wynn took over, the men enthusiastically and loudly took part 😁
