The lieutenant is very intelligent. He is also black, though physically smaller than the Sergeant. He is the only member of his company that speaks German. He is very astute and quickly discerns where Joe came from and why he followed the troops. He is impressed by Joe's roundabout answers to the questions he asks. He jokes that Joe will grow up to be a lawyer one day.
The Lieutenant show real depth of character in the way he deals with Joe's melt down. He remains calm as Joe cries and continues to speak to Joe rationally. He tries his best not to mislead Joe but does promise to try to come back for him. The Lieutenant succeeds in calming Joe.