PLATOON LEADER(ISBN=9780891418009)

　　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

　　Cololonel 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.

Prologue
Chapter 1　August 1, 1971: LZ English
Chapter 2　The Road to War
Chapter 3　Welcome to Vietnam
Chapter 4 　 2d Platoon
Chapter 5　Taking Charge
Chapter 6　The Wounding
Chapter 7　Brief Interlude
Chapter 8　If at First You Don't Succeed
Chapter 9　A Cast of Characters
Chapter 10  Prelude to a Fight
Chapter 11  Battle
Chapter 12  Aftermath
Chapter 13  The Lowly Infantryman
Chapter 14　The Rains Come
Chapter 15  American Ingenuity
Chapter 16  The Enemy Builds Strength
Chapter 17  A Day at the Beach
Chapter 18  Thanksgiving
Chapter 19  "Just Like You and Me"
Chapter 20  The Order
Chapter 21  The Patrol Back
Chapter 22  Night Movement
Chapter 23  End of a Mission
Epilogue