The whole point of tactical games, and most of the appeal, is that you are given direct control over all units or armies, even if you historically only have a part of that influence. Radio Commander it knows that, and it's a fun game because of it.
It puts you in position as a paperback officer in the American fire brigade, but also at the same time commanding the platoons present in the field where they are shot.
You have tasks to complete, and a map, and radio. And that's it. He does everything with such a limited toolbox, as well as much of his time spent with him Radio Commander
While this initially sounds great, reminiscent of our experiences with modern warfare such as Iraq and Afghanistan, with their drone games and helmets, the reality of the game is set in the 1960s throwing that window.
In Radio Commander you see nothing, and you never treat your men directly. All you can do is execute general instructions, such as going to a specific map and engaging, and then sit back, praying that everything will go right.
The map you provided does not update. You need to do that manually, broadcast the radio for local updates and move the unit marker to that grid position correctly.
While this would make for a great drama experience in a very open-minded plot game, Radio Commander is a written, narrative campaign that without giving you rational decisions to make and deal with the turmoil of the Vietnam War, from civil war to torture in CIA operations.
As you come across the story, the effects of the trip get worse. I do not remember the simple order of "walking" in a strategy game that was once a weak heart, as it sat idle for several minutes at a time (you can speed things up by the time clock, anyway), waiting to hear back from units, or order a platoon in battle only to be met.
Sometimes this limits from being "lovely" to "frustrating", especially when things are going really bad and you don't know how much they will get, or the tedium of and so on radio unit position does matter, but it is difficult to argue about the precise control of units when that frustration is part of the point of putting the player in the position for the first time.
This will probably not be for everyone, but if you are like me you are interested in strategy games that are really trying to figure it out new disciplinary and regulatory mechanisms, it is worth a look.