Iraq's Triangle Of Death Analysis

Iraq’s triangle of death, located in the southern region of Baghdad and bordering the Euphrates River is the area where major combat activity and sectarian violence was introduced from late 2004 through fall 2007. This is the area in which the soldiers of 1st Platoon, Bravo Company, 1-502dn Infantry Battalion of the Army’s 101st Airborne Division operated. The 502 was posted near the triangle of death, losing a soldier a week. Their severely undermanned operation sustained constant casualties in short term periods. During this unit’s tour, soldiers endured countless hardships. Toxic leadership, along with a lot of bad luck, made their experience that much worse.
The occurrence which had the most traumatic, skin crawling effect was the rape …show more content…
He always wanted to be big and tough. He did not like to take the easy solution to anything. His demanding and “volcanic” attitude made him very difficult to work with. His subordinates classified him as a nasty and shouty boss. Having such an attitude is counterproductive and lowers overall moral. It is important that leaders set an environment that is not hostile so that operations can run as smooth as possible. LTC Kunk did not take kind to suggestions, especially when they were directed towards his plans. He absolutely would not consider another’s point of view or idea. He was so stuck in his old ways that he failed to adjust himself to the style of business that everyone else was accustomed to follow. A leader has to be adaptive to the environment but he or she must also adapt to his peers. Everybody has a different way of thinking and solving problems. LTC Kunk was incapable of understanding that his peers were the best asset he had. The worst thing that a leader could do to his subordinates is belittle them. LTC Kunk did just that. He would often call his subordinates by their first name in an ironic way. They called him the “Kunk gun” for his rude and nasty comments. He would even often ridicule his subordinates in front of everybody. He did not care who he told off or angered. Of course, this ridicule meant that LTC Kunk never coached his men. Leaders are supposed to develop their subordinates, mentoring and guiding them through problems in order to promote their success and the success of their operations. LTC Kunk, on the other hand, states “Trump! I win because I am the battalion commander.” Being the toxic, narcissistic leader that LTC Kunk was present further down the chain of command. If you have leaders like LTC Kunk, then you will have soldiers like PFC Green who have a hidden lust for blood and psychotic