There is no "I" in team

Use this forum to discuss the November 2019 Book of the month, "Deadly Waters: The Vietnam Naval War And Its Aftermath", by Randy Miller.
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AntonelaMaria
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Re: There is no "I" in team

Post by AntonelaMaria »

Kelyn wrote: 01 Nov 2019, 18:18 Having been in the military, I can confidently tell you that there is nothing on earth like the sense of family you will find there. On the flip side of that, however, are the everpresent (usually friendly)) 'competitions' between platoons, occupations within them, and even single individuals. (The ones between individuals were frequently not so friendly!) Each believes that their area/occupation etc. is superior to the others in some way. Push come to shove, though, every last one of them would band together whether it was to help, to defend, or to combat. How is this shown in Deadly Waters?
Thank you for your service. I'm not an American but I understand what are you talking about, as someone who has a long military history in my family.
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Post by Ngozi Onyibor »

I have never been in the military, but I know someone that has. And he said inorder to live, you have to trust the person beside you and the one behind because your life depends on them. I think it basically means that the troops can't help but stick together.
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Post by Lisa A Rayburn »

aacodreanu wrote: 11 Nov 2019, 13:38
Kelyn wrote: 01 Nov 2019, 18:18 Having been in the military, I can confidently tell you that there is nothing on earth like the sense of family you will find there. On the flip side of that, however, are the everpresent (usually friendly)) 'competitions' between platoons, occupations within them, and even single individuals. (The ones between individuals were frequently not so friendly!) Each believes that their area/occupation etc. is superior to the others in some way. Push come to shove, though, every last one of them would band together whether it was to help, to defend, or to combat. How is this shown in Deadly Waters?
Your description proves that you are familiar with what happens in war situations among fellow soldiers. It is very impressive. What I do not understand is whether you are asking us to provide answers, or are just criticizing the book. Probably when I read through the book I will know.
I am definitely not criticizing the book. Based on my experiences with the sense of 'family' and comradeship that develops between soldiers (and their wives, as one reviewer pointed out), I am interested to know where others saw this evidenced in the book. So, in a way, you could say that I'm asking you to provide an answer. I hope that clears up any confusion my wording may have caused. I appreciate your stopping by and commenting as well as voicing a question others might have had as well.
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Post by iknwuzoh »

Fighting as a soldier in a foreign country is no easy thing. American soldiers in the Vietnam War can tell more of this. You have to study and know the terrain.
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Post by Lisa A Rayburn »

iknwuzoh wrote: 15 Nov 2019, 09:51 Fighting as a soldier in a foreign country is no easy thing. American soldiers in the Vietnam War can tell more of this. You have to study and know the terrain.
No, it's definitely not easy. I imagine studying the terrain and surrounding area would be useful in any war. Thanks for stopping in and commenting!
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Post by Gathoni1991 »

It is very true there is no "I" in team as there is none in synergy. Military matters are sensitive and utmost trust, transparency is needed. Thus the brotherhood bonds run deep for those who have been in war together.
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Post by djr6090 »

A very deep bond is shown when Bill Holmann, "the Professor" and his whole family from the West coast flew across the USA to go to Zach and Tally's wedding. Then again to support Zach when he was sick. A very tight bond.
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Post by Scerakor »

That camaraderie, that internal competition, that brotherhood, that way of thinking is all intentional precisely for conflicts and war. Regardless of the individual conflicts, the inter-platoon conflicts, etc, the brotherhood of arms and pride in one's greater nation is often the biggest item that brings soldiers together.
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Karina Nowak wrote: 03 Nov 2019, 19:31 Unfortunately, I have yet to read this book. However, it would be hard for me to believe that anything but a sense of deep camaraderie would develop in a situation like that. Having to rely on each other to survive and for emotional support, would create a real sense of trust between any group of people. I have yet to read a war-themed book that wasn't like you described.
It certainly appears to be a natural progression in such a high-stress environment.
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Post by Samy Lax »

I have not fully read this book yet. Nevertheless, when a group of people train together to fight for a common cause, I am sure it just gets them really close to each other. I have heard about people who served in the military who are more comfortable with those they were in active duty with than they are with other friends back home and family.
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Post by Juliana_Isabella »

djr6090 wrote: 04 Nov 2019, 11:36 I want to point out that the camaraderie extends to the military wives. Like the scene where the retired chief and his wife conspire to help the boatswain's apes give payback to the rogue marines.

In real life, the wives were a tight knit crew of their own. Sharing what little info was available about loved ones and helping each other get by in a very unpopular time was essential to the team
This is definitely an important point to note. I think that military wives are often overlooked, and I'm glad that this book included one in this way.
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Post by BookPower9 »

My father is a reserved military. He became commandant in CAT. One thing that I've learned he is disciplined. Camaraderie is a word for Military. But in Business it is called Team. Both described true character of a person. In any organization it was very valuable.
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Post by Lisa A Rayburn »

Gathoni1991 wrote: 16 Nov 2019, 06:46 It is very true there is no "I" in team as there is none in synergy. Military matters are sensitive and utmost trust, transparency is needed. Thus the brotherhood bonds run deep for those who have been in war together.
Unfortunately, the transparency is sometimes lacking between the upper echelon and the lower echelon. In some ways, this serves, even more, to build the bonds between military members. Not in an "us against them" kind of way, but in that there is always that uncertainty about what orders may next come "from on high" as we called it. No matter what those orders might be, we knew it would affect all of us. And yes, especially when you are in extremely uncertain circumstances, like combat, those bonds can run deep.
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Post by Lisa A Rayburn »

djr6090 wrote: 17 Nov 2019, 10:14 A very deep bond is shown when Bill Holmann, "the Professor" and his whole family from the West coast flew across the USA to go to Zach and Tally's wedding. Then again to support Zach when he was sick. A very tight bond.
Good point. The bonds formed between them would have had to be quite strong to lead them across the country - twice - to support Zach and Tally. In my experience, outside of family and perhaps very close friendships, in the service is the only place I have felt that sense of 'family' for those who were not actually kin to me.
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Post by Lisa A Rayburn »

Scerakor wrote: 17 Nov 2019, 20:10 That camaraderie, that internal competition, that brotherhood, that way of thinking is all intentional precisely for conflicts and war. Regardless of the individual conflicts, the inter-platoon conflicts, etc, the brotherhood of arms and pride in one's greater nation is often the biggest item that brings soldiers together.
Pride of nation, as you put it, does figure into it. What you call the brotherhood of arms, as was seen in the book, is a more major factor, however. At least that was my experience. You all pull/work together to accomplish whatever the current goal might be.
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