If I were a soldier in Lt. Cross's unit I would carry only the things that I considered essential to my survival. All writing gear I would leave at base camp. I would not carry anything outside of what I was told to carry or anything that would hinder my movement or add unnecessary weight to my gear. I would try to disassociate myself with outside concerns knowing that the lives of the men around me were of utmost concern. In the story we see that Lt. Cross fails his men because of his daydreaming, this is because he didn't want to fight in this war. He was drafted against his will, he had no desire to be a warrior, this caused him to neglect the life and well being of the men he was in charge of. I think this story shows the schools of thought among the services; it may have been that in the Army we see lackadaisical Lieutenants who had no desire to be there in the first place. From my experience as a Marine I know that the men under your care come first at all cost, troop welfare is one of the most important virtues a Marine leader can possess and express through action. With this responsibility and rank as an officer comes instant willingness and obedience to all orders given to the troops under your command. I just think his entire mindset as a leader was wrong and the institution that put him in that leadership position without the proper training may have failed him. I honestly never carried anything outside of what I was told to carry or what may become a hindrance later on during my combat training. The only thing I would consider would be a small amount of letter writing gear, maybe. Your mission as a lower level soldier is not writing letters, your mission is to kill the enemy and protect the soldiers or Marines around you.
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