Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat

James R. McDonough

Random House Publishing Group, Feb 4, 2003 - Biography & Autobiography - 256 pages

A remarkable memoir of small-unit leadership and the coming of age of a young soldier in combat in Vietnam.'

"Using a lean style and a sense of pacing drawn from the tautest of novels, McDonough has produced a gripping account of his first command, a U.S. platoon taking part in the 'strategic hamlet' program. . . . Rather than present a potpourri of combat yarns. . . McDonough has focused a seasoned storyteller’s eye on the details, people, and incidents that best communicate a visceral feel of command under fire. . . . For the author’s honesty and literary craftsmanship, Platoon Leader seems destined to be read for a long time by second lieutenants trying to prepare for the future, veterans trying to remember the past, and civilians trying to understand what the profession of arms is all about.”–Army Times

Contents

• Prologue: 1
• LZ English: 2
• The Road to: 7
• Welcome to Vietnam: 15
• 2d Platoon: 28
• Taking Charge: 37
• The Wounding: 51
• Brief Interlude: 61
• If at First You Dont Succeed: 70
• A Cast of Characters: 79
• Prelude to a Fight: 90
• Battle: 98
• Aftermath: 113
• The Lowly Infantryman: 126
• The Rains Come: 140
• American Ingenuity: 161
• The Enemy Builds Strength: 167
• A Day at the Beach: 179
• Thanksgiving: 189
• Just Like You and Me: 194
• The Order: 202
• The Patrol Back: 207
• Night Movement: 216
• End of a Mission: 229
• Epilogue: 241

About the author

Col. James McDonough, USA (Ret.), graduated from West Point and served in Vietnam as an infantry platoon leader in the legendary 173d Airborne Brigade. A military theorist who has helped shape the post-Cold War army’s thinking, he is also the author of The Defense of Hill 781 and The Limits of Glory. Now retired from active duty, McDonough lives with his family in Tallahassee, Florida.

Bibliographic information

• Title: Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat; A Presidio Press book
• Author: James R. McDonough
• Edition: reprint
• Publisher: Random House Publishing Group, 2003
• ISBN: 0891418008, 9780891418009
• Length: 256 pages
• Subjects: Biography & Autobiography / Military; History / Military / General; History / Wars & Conflicts / Vietnam War