Characteristics Of Lieutenant General Almond
While there were numerous battles during the Korean Conflict that were noteworthy, the one that is perhaps the most famous is the story of the “Chosin Few.” For a brutally cold seventeen days, the men of the 1st Marine Division battled their way through the Chosin Reservoir in one of the most important interactions of the entire conflict with North Korea. On the 27th of November, 1950, the twelve thousand United States Marines who were making their way north to Korea’s Yalu River were suddenly attacked by a Chinese force of approximately five times their size. Already handicapped by their lack of numbers, the Marines were facing a second enemy as well: the deadly North Korean winter, which had been known to reach temperatures of approximately
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One of the greatest weaknesses that the American forces were shouldered with was the nature of one of their generals in the field. While Lieutenant General Edward Almond was described as a “…extremely intelligent man, and an exceptionally hard worker,” his actions and personality prevented him from making the serious connection with his men that crucial to battlefield leadership. He had a tendency to make certain statements and exclamations that would turn his troops away from him, no matter how experienced and dedicated he was. Poor officership appeared to be a reoccurring problem when it came to the higher ranking officers involved in the Chosin Reservoir offensive. Faulty communication led to serious ambiguity within the Marines’ ranks, which resulted in travel issues along the edge of the massive …show more content…
There was a severe lack of communication amongst the officers involved in the assault, and unfortunately, some of them had their priorities extremely out of line. One officer was far more concerned with presenting three other officers with the Silver Star than he was with the actual battle that had not yet ceased. The action on the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir, while peppered with individual gallantry, was as a whole, a disappointment, and a devastating loss of
One of the greatest weaknesses that the American forces were shouldered with was the nature of one of their generals in the field. While Lieutenant General Edward Almond was described as a “…extremely intelligent man, and an exceptionally hard worker,” his actions and personality prevented him from making the serious connection with his men that crucial to battlefield leadership. He had a tendency to make certain statements and exclamations that would turn his troops away from him, no matter how experienced and dedicated he was. Poor officership appeared to be a reoccurring problem when it came to the higher ranking officers involved in the Chosin Reservoir offensive. Faulty communication led to serious ambiguity within the Marines’ ranks, which resulted in travel issues along the edge of the massive …show more content…
There was a severe lack of communication amongst the officers involved in the assault, and unfortunately, some of them had their priorities extremely out of line. One officer was far more concerned with presenting three other officers with the Silver Star than he was with the actual battle that had not yet ceased. The action on the eastern side of the Chosin Reservoir, while peppered with individual gallantry, was as a whole, a disappointment, and a devastating loss of