He is seen as a coward and a suck-up, and in my opinion, a poor excuse for a leader.
For every downfall in war comes a stronger bond between these men. In fact, the leadership of several higher officers is so strong that they become father figures. In Sands of Iwo Jima, the rebellious soldiers learn to respect Sgt. Stryker as a brave and heroic leader. From the beginning Stryker had taken his troops under his wing, specifically Private Peter Conway (John Agar). To some extent, Sgt. Stryker showed more admiration for Private Conway, especially when they meet. The extra attention was given because Sgt. Stryker had fought with Conway's father on the Guadalcanal. Conway's father died in battle and Stryker desperately missed his own son, so he felt responsible to take over as his father figure.
In Platoon the father figure for Chris Taylor (Charlie Sheen) is Sergeant Elias. Everyone in the Vietnam War treated the "new guys" as if they didn't exist until they proved themselves with time and suffering. Conversely, Elias stayed neutral and treated new recruits as men that must be guided. Even though, Taylor had morals and followed the equitable path of Elias, every so often he felt himself slipping to the side of Sergeant Barnes where chaos prevailed.
A quote from the movie, Platoon gives an accurate example of Taylor's battle within himself; "The war is over for me now, but it will always be there for the rest of my days, as I'm sure Elias will be, fighting with Barnes; for what Rhah called, possession of my soul. There are times since I have felt like the child born of those two fathers.".
In contrast, the atmospheres of these battles were displayed in a very different manner. The sociological influences of each era made these films what they are. World War II glorified fighting and dieing for your country. The island of Iwo Jima was conquered by American troops in 1945. An Admiral came with a message of congratulations to the Marines: "Your victory, which was assured almost from the first landing, will brighten the ages of American history.
