10. Fear is meted out with equal measure to soldier and officer alike, yet leaders respond to it in uncommon ways. McDonough certainly had his share of it, and for some time had difficulty controlling that fear in a way that would allow him to lead effectively. For example, one of his soldiers, the point man on a particular mission named Killigan, stopped him from annihilating a non-combatant Viet-cong family for fear that he might get injured anew, which forced him to rethink his competency and personal courage as a leader at that time. With constant reflection and the passage of time, he gathered himself up and made a deliberate decision to steel himself against the menace of suffering and destruction around him.
11. Through his tour in Vietnam he grew as a person and his interpersonal skills included a strong sense of compassion, as shown when he comforted a soldier whose best friend was killed in a water recon. He knew that though he needed to be somewhat aloof from his group, there were times when a shoulder to lean on was perfectly appropriate. He learned to communicate well with his subordinates, and went on to care for each one of them individually. To him, after all the rigors of war, they were men, not just soldiers.
