warfighting essay
Marine Corps Doctrinal Publication (MCDP) 1 (1997) states “There are two parts to any mission: the task to be accomplished and the reason or intent behind it. The intent is thus part of every mission. The task describes the action to be taken while the intent describes the purpose of the action. The task denotes what is to be done, and sometimes when and where; the intent explains why. Of the two, the intent is predominant.” (p. 89) On the surface, it appeared 2nd Platoon was completely aware of the situation and handled it with the greatest of tactical expertise and mission success.