BOOK REVIEW ON “PLATOON LEADER”

BY

CAPT PANKAJ MODGIL

Introduction

1. This book by James R Mc Donough is an honest and vivid description of his transition
from a green wide eyed new comer to a seasoned combat veteran.

2. Platoon leader is a gripping and action filled story of combat ,an account of a young
man,s struggle with the conflicts of allegiance to his mission and his soldiers and
psychological thriller that introspectively examines the effect of shouldering the
responsibilities of life and death amidst the brutality of war.

3. In this book he has described his various combat experiences in Vietnam where he
was posted with 173rd Air borne Brigade as an Infantry platoon leader.

4. The book is written in 23 chapters covering various day to day combat situations faced
by the author and his metamorphosis into a combat veteran by these grass root level combat
experiences. The author has tried to bring home the point that there is a fine line between
rational man and kill crazed animal

About The Author and Publisher.

5. James MC Donough the son of a career Army sergeant graduated as a lieutenant from
west point in 1969. At the top of his class he had full option as to branch of service and first
duty assignment .

6. He chose Infantry and volunteered for service in Vietnam . later on he became

Lieutenant Colonel and Commanded Officers 2 nd Battalion of 41st Infantry at fort hood,
Texas.

7. He also served as professor of Political Science at west point, intelligence officer with
the US Army Head quarters in Europe , special project officer at the Defense Nuclear
Agency . He holds a master degree from the Massachu setts Institute of technology .
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8. This book is published by Lancer International in arrangement with Green Hill Books,
London. It has a total of 195 pages and 23 chapters. The quality of printing is good and the
book is reasonably priced at Rs 250/-

Comments and Analysis

9. Chapter wise Analysis

(a) In the opening chapters of the book writer has given a brief description of his
nostalgic memories that he had in Vietnam as a platoon leader. It has been one year
since he has been in that country but it seems as if this one year has metamorphosed
him into a man. He can only see a handful of men around him who had been inducted
along with him and most of them were either dead, struggling between life and death in
hospital wards or somewhere else with their shocked horrified families waiting behind.
Author pauses and ponders if in any case he is responsible for all this because he was
too zealous to do what was military?

(b) In the subsequent chapter author has narrated about the conditions which led
him to go to west point and turmoil of Vietnam growing in the country. In the following
chapters author has told about their induction into Vietnam after completing the trg at
west point. .He feels very assured of entering the battle zone with his tried and tested
friends over a period of time. A lot of things are going in the mind of the author which
he has narrated beautifully. He decides that daily he will write a letter back home
whatever might be the circumstances till the time he has broken his appendages or he
is dead. Author says that in the coming year we would learn how little our decisions
determine our future. Throughout the year to come, this point would be driven home
time and again.

(c) In the next few chapters author has narrated about his induction into the platoon
as a platoon leader. Initially he was quite confused and was just taking stock of the
situation. He was all alone and it was his first sensation as a platoon leader. He just
gathered his belongings weapon, web gear and rucksack and moved towards the
command post . He knew that it was going to be a tricky situation . He was quite
nervous initially because he knew that he would become an object of interest that
morning. Everyone was wondering what the new Lieutenant would be like and I would
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be telling them with my first gestures, first words, my demeanor, my eyes. I have no
grace period in which to learn my way around. This was life and death environment.

(d) In the next few chapters author has given his experience of how he got his act
together in the platoon and established him and then there was no looking back. Then
author has given various descriptions of the patrols and ambushes they had taken out.
Then he had told about the first action that he had in his service career when he had
taken out a patrol and he got wounded in a mine blast and was taken to the hospital.
When he finally woke up,it all seemed like a dream but it was not. He realized the
facts of life when he saw bandaged bodies all around him. After he recovered from his
injuries he went back to his old platoon. Being wounded gave him a lot of advantages
as he was no more a green soldier. Now he was not only a veteran but a wounded
veteran. More over the very fact that he returned back was impressive to men
conditioned to thinking the worst.

(e) In the subsequent chapters author has told about his growing self confidence
with each passing day. The squads were reacting well to his orders and he could
sense a mutual trust between him and squad leaders. Even the enemy was
cooperating by staying close enough to keep them honest, but not testing them to the
point of a major test. Loneliness had filled the vacuum created by author’s deliberate
aloofness from the platoon. Although getting to know the men - their pears, the lives
they had left behind , their hopes for the future – he kept his emotions to himself .
Author has narrated the second major attach they has launched on Truong Lam in the
space of a month and it resulted in a second major defeat for the Viet cong. Like any
other organization they were also badly hurt.

(f) In the next chapter author has told about rumors spreading about rotation of
tps from front lines for rest and recuperation . The new platoon leader he was handing
over was quite apprehensive and seemed to be in defensive mode and rightly so
because he has an under strength team of just 15 members at his disposal. In next
chapters author has narrated about their treacherous jungle campaigns. Then author
has covered the mission given to platoon in early December that year in which their
platoon was to conduct a dawn raid on a suspected platoon size enemy stronghold.
The mission required a night march of some distance in an unfamiliar terrain . In the
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next chapter author has told that Army does all its operations by a doctrine. Basic rules
of tactics are established and units at all levels adhere to them. In the last chapter
author has come to the end of their mission in Vietnam.
10. Relevance in Our Context.

(a) This book is a must read for all men in

uniform specially the officers who have just started their long journey in uniform. This
book is a wonderful narrative of small combat incidents from the life of the author
which are very signification for any combatant.

(b) This book is actually a day to day sojourn of activities from the life of a
combatant in operational role. Small little incidences, the fear of unknown ,
metamorphosis of green soldiers into battle hardened combat veterans, the spirit to
live and die together. The transformation of a normal human being into a blood thirsty
beast out on a killing spree. This book is very much relevant in our context. In nutshell
one can say that this book is by us, for us and about us.

Recommendations
11. This book is a must read for everyone in uniform specially the young officers who are
just on the threshold of their career.

12. This book is reasonably priced at Rs 250/- and easily available of any store. This book
is recommended to be kept in all libraries and officers should keep their own copies.