Lt Col Owen's Big Assignment
The 1948 movie Fort Apache directed by John Ford and starring Henry Fonda and John Wayne is a fairly straightforward tale of a bitter Civil War officer, Lt. Col. Owen Thursday, sent to command a remote army outpost in Arizona, Fort Apache. He is accompanied by his beautiful daughter, Philadelphia Thursday. Lt. Col. Thursday was trained at West Point, but his glory days are long gone and he's pretty steamed about it. I think a case could be made that Thursday had already decided on the stagecoach ride to Fort Apache that he would self destruct. Of course, he was a product of privilege, the American Dream, and wasn't prepared for it not quite working as promised, unlike the NCO's (peons) who, if smart or lucky, eventually come to understand they'll be lucky to have a pot when it's all said and done. Thursday can no longer tolerate himself, and barely tolerates his beloved daughter, as witnessed by his withering stare when he dumps into a humiliating position in the chair she has secured for his home. It seems unlikely a great commander would arrive at his new assignment without some accommodation (planning) for home provisions, another clue the great Thursday is already bent on sel
Indians, Calvary men, or "what's her name" Guadalupe, the Spanish household help, they're all the same to narcissistic Thursday--tools to use or manipulate for his glory. " In the meantime, he manages to implement some specific goals (training of the men, and polishing their image). To give director Ford his due, however, he gives the viewer a few small glimpses into the fact the women were running a lot of the details at the fort--how to secure goods and services; when, where, and with whom to have parties and dinners; and in the most forceful scene, Mrs. Thursday probably had a fair amount of power with the men, with attention to his coercive, reward, expert, or referent powers (Robbins, 162) although often overshadowed by their distaste for his incompetence, arrogance, and bitter affect. There are no group decisions under Lt. Fort Apache is listed as being established in 1870 (wmonline). He does not conform to MBO, however, as he entirely leaves out the participative decision making, explicit time periods, and performance feedback, other than perfunctory. While the Indians were portrayed fairly, considering a movie of this era, it was difficult to not break out in laughter during some of the "spooning" scenes between the young Lt. Thomas, the "Rock of Chickamauga" of Civil War fame--the possible inspiration for this film. In this case, Thursday had made a directional plan something to the effect of, "I will arrive, I will conquer, and I will die in glory (and screw everyone else). Thursday exercised perfect bureaucratic control, a prerogative of his position, emphasizing administrative rules, regulations, procedures, and policies. Renamed Fort Apache April 5, 1879 it gained significance after tribes gathered in the nearby reservation. Thursday, it's more than likely his superior officer(s) saw an opportune time and place to (a) Get this unpleasant man away from us; (b) Maybe lend some expertise and military strategy to a desolate, straggling outpost they hear is getting too friendly with the Indians; and (c) Take credit for working on "The Indian Problem," should he have any success. Thursday, repugnant as he or his orders were, a well-identified phenomenon. Comanche Chief Quanah Parker refused to accept the treaty terms.
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Acceptance Essays
