Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat
by James R. McDonough
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Book Summary Information
Author: James R. McDonoughEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2003-02-04
ISBN: 0891418008
Number of pages: 256
Publisher: Presidio Press
Book Reviews of Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat
Book Review: A Small Unit Classic
Summary: 5 Stars
This small gem was first published in 1985 as the embers of Vietnam had a decade to cool. Lt. Col. (at the time of the book's publication) McDonough had spent nearly six months leading a infantry platoon as a freshly minted 2nd Lieutenant out of West Point. And in that time, he would see war in all it's horror, sordidness and stupidity. But he would also see the bonds between soldiers (particularly the infantry), the camaraderie and the sacrifice.
But McDonough's greatest achievment isn't that he just wrote about his combat experiences in Vietnam. It's that in describing his experience, he went beyond the boundaries (if it can be called that) of Vietnam and managed to catch a universal truth facing all small unit commanders not just in Vietnam, but in war, any war.
A World War II veteran can read this and relate to McDonough's experiences. And small unit leaders in Afghanistan and Iraq will especially relate to it.
I don't know if this book is required reading at the military academies, but it should be. It's been hailed as a classic of small unit leadership and will likely continue to be. All small unit leaders should be required to read it.
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