Trautman loved that team too much. It was common knowledge by then.
By working so closely with them and for such a long time, he'd let himself get carried away far more than he should have in the process.
It wasn't professional on his part and those feelings could end up being dangerous, but fucking hell. Those weren’t just any ordinary men.
Those men were 'his' team.
Therefore, that night, and that night alone, the Colonel decided to let go of his sense of pride and instead, for the first time in a long time, felt something that resembled hope.
With men like that, maybe even a land as tormented as Vietnam, had hope.