Mr. Junod does a wonderful job of articulating the entire story and I encourage anybody to read through it. That said there are some very important lessons that can be gleaned and I decided to share my own insights from the article.
1. What leadership actions/inactions at the Platoon and Company level contributed to the conduct of SSG Hensley and his Soldiers?
a. SSG Hensley should have been identified as a high risk Soldier. He took leadership of the Snipers after returning to theater from emergency leave. Not only was this from emergency leave but it was the death of a loved one, his girlfriend. While it may have been identified by the Company nowhere does the author say anything about any measures to get SSG Hensley in counseling or an evaluation of his fitness for the job of a Scout Platoon Sergeant before being given the job. It is clearly stated that he found out he was going to be the PSG while he was on emergency leave, this high stress position given immediately after a tragic loss should have been and very well may have been weighed against his obvious skills as a sniper asset for the Company.
b. The author makes it clear that Hensley was not eating, sleeping, nor drinking much water. The author indicated that everybody noticed him drinking large amounts of caffeine. These were obvious high risk indicators that should have come up on both the Platoon Leader’s and the Company First Sergeant’s radar. Somebody in his leadership chain should have noticed yet there is no record of this. The Company Commander should have been made aware, and a change should have been made.
c. The Iraqi Police referred to him as “The Painted Demon”, this should have been an indication that he was not adhering to standards. It should have been a red flag that the Civilian and Military counterparts in Iraq did not see him as a trustworthy individual rather as a violent risk to the U.S. mission.
2. How could these events have been prevented?
a. Any one of the aforementioned indicators should have at a minimum put Hensley under an investigation prior to May 11, 2007. If SSG Hensley had been removed from his position for emotional reasons or any of the other already clearly identified risk indicators this could have been prevented.
b. The mission/rest ratio should have been an indicator as well. The team had gone out for roughly 43 hour mission and then within 24 hours after returning went out for the mission that changed everything. If a longer rest cycle had been implemented in between missions or the missions not been as long, chances are they would not have fallen asleep or at least less likely it would have happened.
3. What are the most important leadership lessons learned?
a. Knowledge of Men: Leaders should know their men, especially when it comes to how their personal lives may effect their jobs. A life changing event may be the type of event that will preclude an individual from a leadership position for a time due to the changes in the emotional capability to complete the job at that time.
b. Listen to your fellow leaders: There was more than enough data to point out that the Battalion Sergeant Major did not think that SSG Hensley was ready for the position, yet MAJ Butler allowed him to be the acting Platoon Sergeant.
It is a shame that this ever happened. The chain of command failed, leaders failed at multiple levels. Good Soldiers were corrupted by bad leadership and because of this innocent people were murdered and while the shooters went to jail those who were culpable in this heinous failure got to walk away without jail time.
It is important to remember this quote from Aldo Leopold
