The Failing of Leadership in Blackhearts - Essay Sample

The Black Hearts is a book written by Jim Frederick that describes the American soldiers deployed to Iraq in 2005. Failures of leadership have been related from the head lieutenant to the lowest officer. The Lieutenant General Ricardo Sanchez did not do background research on the climate of Iraq hence did not prepare his soldiers of what they would face ahead. Lack of information was the first sign of a lousy battle in which the American officers would kill each other rather than perform the task they had been assigned.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Order now

The most unusual case of failure happens when four of the U.S soldiers kill the Cannabis, an Iraqi family and rape a fourteen-year-old girl. The inhuman act does not bother them much since they behold the highest level of arrogance. To them, they find no reason to be questioned for their actions. They did this in a case of severe microcosm in Iraq, and they felt they had such powers and did not need a reason to do so. The action can be concluded as an abuse of power by the soldiers. They failed to realize their responsibility and deviated from their assignment to fulfill lustful desires. Sanchez did not warn them of such acts and what law they would face in acting that way. Nonetheless, they needed to realize it on their own. Therefore, the first failure is the abuse of power by the soldiers.

The soldiers also failed to avoid the first rule of the war, which requires them to stay in line and avoid being killed. The first deployment ended with 11 dead soldiers whom Kunk states that they deserved to die. Lieutenant Colonel Thomas Kunk was a control freak who wanted things done his way. Leading the first platoon, Kunk described the group as a failure. Seven of his troop members were dead as a consequence of their mistakes as Kunk states. He describes the survivors as crybabies and quitters. Kunk's leadership is dictatorial and the reason behind indiscipline and rebellion, which he faces from his army. When a dictator doesn't' run things his way, the subjects are either killed or tortured, as seen in Thomas Kunk's style of leadership.

Bad leadership led to the death of the best of Platoons soldiers, such as Sargent Kenith Cassica, who had a human heart. The remaining soldiers were indisciplined and exhausted amateurs who were unproductive. Cascia had the best interests for the Iraqis as he described their mission as salvation for the families (Fawley, 20). If he had lived, Abeer Jannabi and her family would be alive as well. The remaining officers included a list of psychopaths like Steven Green, whose desire for human blood showed a red flag by throwing off a puppy from a roof. The army mental health officers, however, did not recognize psychosis in Green's behavior. When Green described the soldiers' interests as nothing other than killing, the stress report treated his idea as usual. Green had a troubled time when growing up as a drug abuser, diagnosed with ADHD, and was even kicked out of their home at 14 by his mother. The army officers assume his behavior and treat him as spoilt beyond repair. Even after the rape case, Green terms the ordeal as impressive with no feelings of remorse.

Surprisingly, Fredrick watches everything happen with void emotions. He understands the psychological conditions the troop members suffer from but does not try to stop them. Instead, Frederick blames the entire situation on Improvised Explosive Devise that makes soldiers full of hate and ready to kill. He justifies the death of Cassica and the Cannabis, stating that he would have done the same to anyone who protects a person after his life. At the end of the war, credit goes to Colonel Kunk, who realizes the situation at hand and reports the murders even though he does not act on it in good time.

Reflectively, Fredrick would have handled the situation with prior planning by understanding the political climate before deploying the soldiers. Lack of information greatly affected the soldiers who ended up making wrong decisions, and several died while others were charged with murder and rape crimes. Retraining of soldiers before sending them to a battle is utterly essential. Recognize the flaws of each soldier and correct them before the mission starts. If the case of Green could be handled timely, he would not have participated in the rape ordeal. Therefore, understanding the welfare and background of a soldier or an employee could save a business or nation many losses that result from escalated psychological conditions. The flaws of the soldiers could be rectified if attention is paid to their psycho-social behavior.

Conclusively, leadership has to be impactful by correcting employees when they go wrong. In this assignment, the leaders like Kunk and Frederick failed to address the issues affecting the troops. They did not prepare well, and this led to their failures. There was no coordination among the leaders making some officers work against the idea of humanity. Leaders must encourage teamwork, an aspect that was missing in this mission. Abuse of power is also seen among the soldiers, something that leaders must discourage the employees. In the end, employees must be submissive and learn to seek the counsel of their seniors. Leaders should also learn to address their fears promptly and avoid disastrous outcomes. Transformational leadership should be applied rather than dictatorial.

Works Cited

Fawley, Darrell E. 4-31 Infantry in Iraq's Triangle of Death. , 2019. Print.