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Platoon Leader

A Memoir of Command in Combat

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Platoon Leader

By: James R. McDonough
Narrated by: Joel Rooks
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About this listen

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)

©2003 James R. McDonough (P)2003 Random House Audio Military Military & War Vietnam War Solider War

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Profile Image for A. M. C. 2014

Superb

Brutal and an eye-opener. Very different from most imagined Vietnam was fictional accounts. I watched Platoon Leader on MGM plus a cannon movie from the 80s and saw that there was source material and that is what brought me here to listen to it on Audible.
It reads as a modern coming of age story. You go to West Point and learn how to be an officer. Then you go out into the field and that goes out of the window immediately. The grim reality sets in. You find out what works and what does not. Sometimes with tragic consequences.

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