A Lesson in Duty by Lcpl Hinton, Joshua J.

based on themes from the book

Rifleman Dodd by C. S. Forrester

In 1809 when Field Marshal Wellesley ordered the construction of The Lines of Torres Vedras as a last line of defense of the allied held city of Lisbon, the land north of the lines underwent a scorched earth policy. Houses were razed, fields burned, forests clearcut, and rivers dammed to create a no man's land as inhospitable to humans as possible.1 This location sets the tone for the survival of Rifleman Matthew Dodd, cut off from his regiment during their fall back to The Lines. Death to the French by C. S. Forrester, published in the U.S. as Rifleman Dodd, is a tale of staunch duty bound survival by a member of the elite British 95th Rifles, a regiment that would go on to brigade status and earn the title of The Prince Consort's Own Rifle Brigade. Dodd is the archetypal product of proper training. Though Forrester does not go into detail on the training of Dodd, at the time of writing the reputation of the 95th Rifles would have been widely known. Unlike standard infantry of the line, the 95th underwent a specialized training to allow them to operate forward of the line as individuals or small groups. Very similar to the values and instincts instilled by our Marine Corp in training, members of the 95th were taught to think and operate on their own, do adapt to the situation at hand, and to have a diligence to duty that outclassed their fellow units. Like us, competition among peers and awards for achievement built unit cohesion and

Sir Charles Oman, A History of the Peninsular War, Volume III (Greenhill Books 1996)

camaraderie. With Dodd alone, surrounded by enemy soldiers and relatively no provisions, his only objective is to return to his regiment. 'The regiment had taught him that he must

do his duty or die in the attempt' writes Forrester2, and the sense of duty is a recurring theme through the novel. Forrester draws a rather marked comparison between the Portuguese rebels Dodd is aided by, and Dodd himself. While the guerrilla irregulars celebrate their victories with boasts and embellishments, Dodd's single minded focus is on developing a plan and continuing his duty of returning to his regiment. The only reward for doing his duty would be the knowledge that his duty was being done.3 The drive developed in Dodd by his training and core values keeps him focused, with an adaptability of planning that allows him to be prepared for the unknowable. Like us as Marines, Dodd knows what he has to do, has the skill set to do it, and takes the initiative in completing the mission in its fullest. Many junior Marines do not understand the role they can have in the larger picture. Throughout the book Dodd implements plans to ensure his own survival, many of which have wide ranging consequences. As the French pursuants are picked off one by one by Dodd a mystique develops around him, though Dodd does not realize this. For him, they are simply an obstacle to be overcome in completing his objective. The parallels between the fear of Dodd by the French and the fear of 'Yellow Legs' on the Korean Peninsula are obvious. One man kept a much larger force occupied that would have otherwise directed their attention towards the main line of British withdrawal.

2 3

C. S. Forrester, Rifleman Dodd (Nautical & Aviation Pub Co of Amer (February 1, 1990) 64 Forrester 64

When Dodd took the initiative and destroyed a bridge train designed by the French to circumvent the Torres Vedras line, he could not have known the far reaching repercussions of his initiative that saved the lives of many of his fellow countrymen. Furthermore, it ensured a forsaken retreat of the French army.4 Rifleman Dodd is not an intellectually heavy book, but it is an entertaining read. What is does show is that the training and values we are committed to are by no means a modern idea; they have worked in the past and they continue to work for us. Directed towards the junior ranks, we gain a greater understanding of how Marines move beyond simply following orders to the realm of calm, collected, and adaptable thanks to our training and sense of duty.

4Forrester

239-240