I still have the map I assembled of my battalion's area of operations in Germany. It's pretty damn large (about 500 square miles, considering it covered 3 NATO air bases: Hahn, Bitburg, and Spangdahlem.
Back then, the most dangerous weapon in the US Army arsenal was a Second Lieutenant and a map. Yeah, I was one, but became an excellent map reader long before I was promoted to First LT...lol.
I remember flying OV-10s in Korea with a map bag full of 1:50K scale maps. You had to pull them out one at a time to navigate anywhere close to the no-fly-line at the DMZ. Map reading was, and is an essential skill for pilots today. GPS is just an aid.
I was in Armor before GPS. Compasses are useless in a tank. We had to learn to read a map. No alternative.
Nothing more ADORABLE than a ROTC ‘Butter Bar’ Lieutenant, fresh out of college and newly assigned to my unit. :)
As a Platoon Sergeant, I was in charge of showing them the ropes, how things worked, the Chain of Command, what their duties would be, what our mission currently was, who they were in charge of, etc. I always loved the ‘deer in the headlights’ stare they initially had, LOL!
Those assignments made for some life-long friendships, and a few great future assignment opportunities too, as we both moved up the ranks.
I thought a 2LT with an idea was more dangerous. My sergeant brother made sure I knew that.
First To Fire!
(It sucks getting old, but beats the alternative!)