 This is an armored battalion, tons upon tons of armor-plated might, firepower and shock action mounted on steel treads. A massive entity designed for assault and maneuverability in mobile warfare. Machines and weapons and some 800 men forged together into a thunderbolt, representing many thousands of dollars in the nation's investment in military security. At the head of this complex of men and equipment, responsible for its effectiveness, stands one man holding one of the most respected and responsible jobs in the army, representing in his single experience a career of national service and army leadership. The battalion commander, armored battalion commanded by Lieutenant Colonel John Rawlings, is stationed among the hills of West Germany. Here in a one-time Nazi barracks, Colonel Rawlings regularly conducts the business of the battalion with the subordinate commanders who serve under him. That's all I have this morning, gentlemen, except for one thing. Next week, when we hit that tank crew qualification course, I want to see an immediate response to every order issued to every subordinate commander. Are there any questions? No, sir. No, sir. Now that's all, gentlemen. Anything more for me right now, Colonel? I guess not, Tom. I'd like to see those status reports if they're ready. I'll send them right in, sir. I'm Major Terry, the executive officer of the battalion. That's the way his company commander see the old man. Tough, a hard taskmaster. They've got to see him that way. He's got to be that way. He's looking for nothing short of perfection. That's his job. That's the chief image the troops get of him, too. A man looking for perfection. And they know they've got to try to give him what he's looking for. Soldiers may gripe about this insistence on perfection occasionally. That's only natural. But they know the reason for it, and underneath the griping, they're glad of it. For if they had to go into combat, he's the man who would lead them. What's your job, soldier? Tank gunner, sir. What's the maximum range on the main gun of the M-60 tank? Sir, the maximum range is 4,400 meters. Son, what is the basic mission of armor? Sir, our mission is to close with and destroy the enemy using firepower, shock action, mobility, and coordination with other arms. Sir, Lieutenant Bayon reports of the battalion commander. Good, Lieutenant Bayon. You had three replacements two weeks ago. How are they working out? Very well, sir. They must have received excellent training before coming to us. I'm glad to hear that, Lieutenant. Let's have a look at what you're doing here. The commander's endless drive for perfection is most evident in his constant supervision of the training his units undergo. He manages to be everywhere week in and week out, and no detail is too small or insignificant for his attention. That's part of his job, too. Justice training is a combat battalion's chief business in peacetime. Training so intense and rigorous that if it ever had to, the battalion would be able to do what all its training prepares it to do. Get quickly into the business of waging and winning battles. Particularly here in Europe is the necessity for instant readiness keenly felt. For the NATO forces here, of which this battalion is apart, are literally the forward lines of the free world's defenses. In this challenging atmosphere, no combat unit can relax, and no battalion commander can permit a lowering of standards, either in himself or his unit. Because it's perfection the commander is striving for, not everything he sees satisfies him. And when something doesn't, someone hears about it. Today was a scheduled maintenance day for your company. Is that right, Captain Smith? Yes, sir. And yet I found only a part of your command in the track and motor park. The rest of your unit was engaged in other projects. The result was inadequate maintenance performed in the day scheduled. Sorry, sir. I thought it was more important. It isn't just a day in another training schedule, Captain. Recently, an average of 8% of your vehicles have been on deadline. I've looked into it personally, and I've discovered that it isn't a matter of lack of parts. It's the fault of your maintenance system and your own supervision. Yes, sir. It'll be corrected, sir. Captain, this is the second time in the last few months that I've had occasion to counsel you about the maintenance and training standards in your company. There's been an improvement, but I want to see more. Everything in your company, the maintenance, the training, the morale, everything, is a direct reflection of the leadership you provide. Do you understand that? I understand, sir. I'm glad you do, Captain Smith. I'm going to be watching your performance very carefully over the next few weeks. I want you to put everything you've got into running that company. Everything. Understood? Yes, sir. Understood, sir. Right. That's all. How did it go, sir? I'm not sure. I think I got through to him. Well, that's what I thought the last time, too. He's a conscientious officer. He tries hard. You know, Colonel, sometimes I wonder if these people realize just how tough a job it is to command a company. Well, maybe they don't, but we know. We know it's so tough that not all men can do it. How about Captain Smith? He'll be all right. He'll give the Army a lot of good service. It's just taking him a little longer than it does something. But I'm going to ride him just as hard as I have to until he does measure up. Well, what's on tap now? It's time for your open door hour, sir. Okay. Ask the Sergeant Major to come in, will you? Yes, sir. In some ways, deadline vehicles might not seem very important when weighed against an officer's record and reputation. But in combat, those vehicles sitting on the sideline, unable to function, would be very important indeed. A battalion commander's job of making sure that all the officers who serve under him measure up to the responsibility of command is not always a pleasant one. And sometimes people get hurt in the process. But it would hurt a lot more, a lot more, to send a company of men into combat under an officer who doesn't measure up. When you're looking at it from a battalion commander's point of view, that's all you can allow yourself to think of. Yes, sir? The Colonel wants to see you, Sergeant Major. Where about, sir? A Sergeant Major works closely with the old man, sees him every day a dozen times a day, sees him in all his moods and in all lights. Responsibility is a lonely sort of thing. A man can get lots of advice, lots of expert recommendations. But in the end, it's the one man who has to make the decisions. But that man is human, too, after all, and he doesn't function in isolation. Those are 800 men under his command, not symbols or digits or names. He's got to keep in contact with them. This open-door policy is one way. Every week at a scheduled time, any man in the battalion who has a good reason can see the old man himself. Who's our first customer, Sergeant Major? Sergeant Thomas, Charlie Company, sir. Oh, yes, he wants to transfer to the Third Battalion. That's right, sir. The commander recommended disapproval of his request. Here's his letters with the endorsements. This'll be a tough one. They all are, sir. They all are. Okay, send them in. Yes, sir. Sergeant Thomas reporting is directed, sir. Well, Sergeant Thomas, you want to leave us, I hear. Well, sir, it isn't that I want to, but... Tell me about it. Well, sir, I've been E-6 for five years. I'm eligible for a promotion to E-7, but there are no vacancies in this battalion. There is one in the Third Battalion. With your permission, I'd like to transfer over there and get a chance at promotion. You've been doing a lot of good work, Sergeant. Thank you, sir. Your company commander speaks very highly of you. Well, I'm glad he thinks so, sir. So highly that he wants to keep you. Well, I can understand his problem, sir. I'm glad you can, Sergeant. I can, too. I wish I didn't have to make this request, Colonel. The battalion's been my home for a long time. Don't worry about it, Sergeant. I understand. Well, Sergeant Thomas, I'm going to think about this carefully. You'll know in a day or two. Yes, sir. Thank you, sir. Get Captain Lawrence on the phone, please, and then come on in, Sergeant Major. Captain Lawrence, I've just been talking to Sergeant Thomas about his request for a transfer. I know that, sir. What's your reason for recommending disapproval of his request? Very simple, sir. I need him. There's no such thing, you know, Captain, as an indispensable man, particularly in the Army. I know that's true, Colonel. But in this case, we come awfully close to it. Sergeant Thomas has overall responsibility for training the tank crews and the tank tests this year, as he did last year. I've got all new platoon leaders this year. I'm dead without a strong NCO to handle those tests. Sergeant Thomas is the only one who can do it. Company showing will suffer. I told Sergeant Thomas I was going to think this over, and I'm telling you the same thing. I'll let you know about it. No problem. The indispensable man. Yes, sir. Colonel Robin, sir. Oh, who's up? Colonel might be interested to know, sir, that my orders came through today for reassignment back to the States. What's this? Two months? Why, that's ridiculous. I can't let you go that soon. No, sir. Shall I file this under eye for indispensable, sir? Sergeant Major, we'll discuss it later. Who's next? PFC Baker, sir. Okay. Send him in. Yes, sir. PFC Baker, reporting as directed, sir. At ease. Let's see if I've got your story straight, Baker. Your company commander reduced you from corporal under Article 15 for disrespectful behavior towards an NCO. It was your platoon sergeant, I believe, to whom you were in subordinate. You appealed the punishment, and I denied your appeal. Now you ought to explain to me yourself the extenuating circumstances, right? That's right, sir. Well, then, what are they? Well, sir, it's why I talked up to the sergeant. You see, sir, I've been on-garden up all night, and we'd had trouble in the motor pool and having an inspection next morning. And the sergeant said, no matter if I had been up all night, I still had to straighten out my locker and get my area orderly. Well, I know I shouldn't have... I shouldn't have lived off like I did, but I was so tired I didn't know what I was saying. Baker, the easiest thing in the world is to be courteous when you feel like it and to obey when you're in the mood to obey. When there aren't any pressures and you're under no strain. But the system of military discipline and courtesy is set up precisely to hold men and units together under pressure. So to break the rules because you're under pressure isn't really any excuse at all. Now, you learn that strike back someday, and I hope more. And when you do, don't ever excuse the insubordination of anyone under you because he had a rough night. I'm glad you came in just so I get a chance to tell you this. But I'm going to stick with my denial of your appeal. Yes, sir. That's all, Baker. Private Morris and his wife are waiting, sir. You might remember the comic commander the questions you see him and his wife. All right, send them in. Private Morris reporting is directed, sir. Sir, may I introduce my wife, Jean? Mrs. Morris. Colonel Rawlings. Won't you sit down, please? Thank you. So this is what a battalion commander's office looks like. It's not as grand somehow as I expected. No, it's rather plain and austere. I'm afraid, Mrs. Morris, but that's the army. So many things about the army are different from what I expected. Do you find adjustment as the wife of the service man over here difficult, Mrs. Morris? In some ways. Well, that's the principal reason I wanted to talk to you, and your husband. You own a white Thunderbird, don't you? Yes. It was a present from Daddy. It's a dream car. Well, the people in the village seem to think of it as a nightmare, Mrs. Morris. You've been barreling through the streets. And worse yet, you haven't responded to a number of traffic violation tickets you've received. But Colonel, they're so pokey in that village. But the point is, Mrs. Morris, it's their village. But if it were not for us, they wouldn't have a village. Mrs. Morris, there are a few things about world politics which you're going to have to learn. We're over here as much to protect our own interests as anyone else's. We want to keep these people whose land we are using as our friends. Your husband and I have a duty to perform as unofficial ambassadors. As the wife of a serviceman, you should accept that as your duty, too. Well, Colonel, I didn't realize that we were that important. Every American serviceman over here has a mighty big job to do, and that goes for his dependents who sometimes have more direct contact with the people, such as merchants, than he does. Every one of us is an unofficial ambassador of the United States, projecting our country's image. We must obey the laws and respect the customs of these people, who actually are our hosts. We have no alternative. All it takes is good community relations all the way across the board, and that includes observing traffic laws, all laws, as well as showing courtesy at all times to the people of our host country. All right, Colonel. I really hadn't thought about it that way. I do hope all this hasn't affected George's job. Well, I mean... Don't worry about your husband, Mrs. Morris. He's an excellent soldier with a fine record. Well, I'd like to help him keep it that way. I'm sure you will. The traffic ticket will be taken care of, Colonel. And if I can borrow one of your mechanics, I'll have him put a speed governor on that Thunderbird. Well, I'm sure that won't be necessary, Mrs. Morris. Goodbye. Goodbye. Thank you, sir. Just a reminder, Colonel, the Burgermeister beer in half an hour. Well, one problem's been taken care of. It's been worrying him. I imagine they'll be glad to hear about it. Good, good. I knew the Colonel would take care of it. These sessions are very good. We meet, we bring out our problems, and poof, they disappear. More coffee, Air Schmidt. Duncan, Duncan, no. I've had a great plenty. Well, we seem to have no problems at all this week. No, no problems. Perhaps just a little bit more coffee. Duncan, Duncan, that's enough. Thank you. There is one small item. The Colonel will understand. We have discussed other things like it before. The torn up fields. Maneuver damage? Maneuver damage. I have a list. Certainly, Air Schmidt. It'll be taken care of, as always. Wunderbar, wunderbar. Now I must go. Such a pleasant meeting. There is one small item more. The road that goes past Farmer Mueller's farm. Farmer Mueller is upset. His cows. The vroom, vroom of the tanks passing. It upsets them. They are off their feed. Their milk is irregular. Irregular? Yeah, such a pity. Perhaps another road could be used. We'll look into it, Air Schmidt, right away. Duncan, Duncan. Auf Wiedersehen. Wiedersehen? Auf Wiedersehen. Is there another road we can use to get out to the Maneuver area? We're throwing the cows off schedule along the one we've been using. That's right, off schedule. The battalion itself is a community. And over it, the battalion commander presides as sort of unofficial mayor, establishing a sense of harmony for its inhabitants. Setting at ease new arrivals to the community. Among them, young officers and their wives, who may be new to army ways and customs. Even in these moments, however, the battalion commander never relaxes his hold completely. The business of running the battalion goes on even over the punch-bowl. Could I see you for a moment, Captain Lawrence? Mm-hmm. You'll excuse us, please, won't you? Excuse me? Captain? I've been thinking about Sergeant Thomas. And I'm going to approve his request for a transfer. Very well, sir. Hard as it is to lose him. We can't penalize a man because he's good. However, there's someone else I'm going to give you. There's a man over in Bravo Company that's been coming along very well. Remember Sergeant Volkert, we spoke about once before? Yes, sir, I do. Well, I think he's the right man for the job. The business of the battalion goes on in his home, in the headquarters, in the community, and in the field, always in the field, with the troops wherever they train. For training is the battalion's life, and the nation's protection against that day which could come swiftly and without warning. Thank you, sir. In Western Europe, when an Army readiness test is called, you never know whether it's another practice or the real thing. This is Bravo Six. This is Paramount Three. Wait for it. Zero, five hundred. Bravo Company is ready to move. Okay, move them up. Bravo Six. This is Paramount Three. Move out. In less than two hours, hundreds of men and vehicles, tons of equipment are on the move. Had it been the real thing, the battalion was prepared. It is this moment when the commander is fully aware of the total readiness of his men, which tells the measure of the man himself. The readiness is a reflection of his leadership and command. The proud culmination of the life and career of a man who fills one of the most responsible jobs the nation has to offer. The Battalion Commander.