The Lt Poem by Michael Pruchnicki

LT (pronounced El Tee) was the name used by grunts in Vietnam for a second lieutenant and platoon leader. Sometimes it was used as a mark of approbation, a term of respect for a soldier and leader of men in combat. Too often, however, the term expressed disrespect and loathing for a cowardly soldier, an officer who was incompetent in the field and was afraid to fight. The LT in my story entitled 'Draftee' is one of the latter.

Twenty years old and a recent graduate of OCS, the LT has been assigned to a platoon whose sergeant is twenty years his senior.