Now retired from active duty, mcdonough lives with his family in tallahassee, florida. Learn some secret advice to help you develop a cohesive team of trained warriors. A military theorist who has helped shape the postcold war armys thinking, he is also the author of the defense of hill 781 and the limits of glory. He went through them line by line, explaining what was written and why. Most of the time, there will be 2 4 marine corps boot camp platoon books listed. Love is not always a two way street, sometimes you give more than you get, and love is a choice. Apr 23, 2014 i n his 2014 article, army first lieutenant scott ginther related 20 lessons from his path from west point cadet to platoon leader in afghanistan. It read, when was the last time you heard a unit commander ask for feedback, consider the input, publicly admit hes wrong, and change his opinion given that i have a vivid example of being humbled while in command, i felt compelled to share my story. Army leader book citizen soldier resource center part time. Tasks may vary from securing the high ground on a battlefield to preparing for a parade, but the platoon leader is always the director. One minute a communications check with the platoon leader is successful and the next minute you cant reach anybody.
Platoon leader ebook citizen soldier resource center part time. Platoon leader is a 1988 cannon films film set in the vietnam war and directed by aaron norris. Thing is, behind that brash exterior, youre probably confused as all getout. The book highlights the extreme nature of vietnam insomuch as long periods of boredom torn apart by extreme moments of violence and carnage. The military leader reading list the military leader. My battalion commander pulled out his old oers officer evaluation report and support forms. A platoon leaders guide to inventory and accountability. This reading list is a collection of the books that have had a. In other words, your platoon leader leader book will allow you to reference any important soldier information in one spot. You have the ability to mold men and make our country stronger 24 hours a day. The platoon sergeants duty is to get the troops beans and bullets as its commonly referred to as. Dec 18, 2007 a remarkable memoir of smallunit leadership and the coming of age of a young soldier in combat in vietnam.
After reading my platoon leader ebook you will know exactly what you need to do achieve success as a parttime platoon leader. Discover how to be an effective, excellent and efficient leader while balancing your family time, civilian job and military career. Most of the time, good operator pmcs will prevent this from happening. I will challenge myself to share this evaluation, every week with either my platoon leader, my coleader, or a pastor in my church. Platoon leaders were expected to know tactics, not from a rote memorization standpoint, but to enable quick decisionmaking while. The officer is usually assisted by a platoon sergeant. It provides early warning of impending enemy contact by reporting the enemys direction, distance, and size. Usually, each company will have a recovery plan that documents the schedule of events. As a platoon leader, you will perform many missions. You get a glimpse of how their personalities worked for them, and at times against them. The detail and number of options have also been ramped up such that this game is guaranteed to be better than ever.
I will challenge myself to share this evaluation, every week with either my platoon leader, my co leader, or a pastor in my church. A memoir of command in combat and millions of other books. A document written in blood platoon cinema platoon directed and written by oliver stone. The maintenance platoon sergeant is the platoons second in command and is accountable to the platoon leader for the leadership, discipline, training, and welfare of the platoons soldiers. Look at you, all brand new and shiny, right out of your basic officer leader course, hardcharging to take over your first platoon.
The most common question i get from young lieutenants is what specific actions to do when you become a platoon leader. College students can enroll in plc when they are freshmen, sophomores, or juniors in college. I read platoon leader by james mcdonough because it was a firsthand account of a rookie. Throughout my time in company command, i searched the internet, book stores and local library for resources to help me prepare my platoon leaders for. His platoon is charged with manning an outpost next to the village of truong lam. Much credit goes to 1lt ginther for clearly learning the right lessons as a young leader. Enjoy every minute of it, even the difficult times, and give of yourself freely to your mission and your men. Unlike traditional infantry platoons whose primary mission is to kill the enemy. As a platoon leader or coleader, who is holding me accountable.
Ar 3501, army training and leader development yes, i know it looks. For the authors honesty and literary craftsmanship,platoon. Platoon leader s philosophy orders line of duty equal opportunity officer candidate school preparation warrior leadership course preparation useful vocabulary recommended army readings survey sop chain of command sexual harrassment us repneo warden. The author invites the reader to be part of his men seeing their unique attributes and sometimes quick end of life or permanent disfigurement. So each time your platoon concludes an exercise or mission, conduct a thorough inventory during the recovery stage. It is narrated by mcdonough in first person view and tells of his story in the vietnam war as a lieutenant in command of 2nd platoon, bravo company, 4th battalion, 503rd infantryairborne plot introduction. If you are meeting your psg for the first time and doing the inventories on your new platoon you will also learn a lot about them from how they have stewarded the cdrs property that you will be signing for and how the paperwork is taken care of for it. A remarkable memoir of smallunit leadership and the coming of age of a young soldier in combat in vietnam. Lessons from platoon leader by james mcdonough dzone agile. A platoon leader or platoon commander more common in commonwealth militaries and the us marine corps is the officer in charge of a platoon.
Following commission, marine corps officers attend the basic school, six months also in quantico of training in leadership, land navigation, weapons, smallunit tactics, and communications. Mcdonough, chronicles the authors experiences as an officer in the vietnam war from 197071. At that time the book had not made a very good impression because vietnam. If you are interested, but unfamiliar with bidding on ebay, contact me. I tend turn to books written by people who have fought in the army for lessons on tactics and leadership.
Advanced platoon leader apl takes the basic game platoon leader to a whole new level. Pleasures for the holidays books twentytwo picturesque volumes to enjoy without reservations. The film is about a newly commissioned infantry lieutenant who arrives in vietnam to take over his. This book presents some of his experiences as he grows as a leader. The detail and number of options have also been ramped up. I n his 2014 article, army first lieutenant scott ginther related 20 lessons from his path from west point cadet to platoon leader in afghanistan. The platoon sergeant must keep in mind that he or she is training the future leadership of our army. A sixpack of books kelly jones and scott shaw small wars journal. Sometimes it is difficult with my full time job to be able to work around my national guard commitment. Platoon leaders must design a plan for carrying out instructions, delegate tasks to platoon sergeants, squad leaders or individuals, and follow up to ensure those tasks are completed. Mcdonough retired is an impecable example for future and current young lieutenants that are preparing to take command of their first platoons.
The book takes place in and around a fort near a vietnamese village in binh dinh province. The infantry reconnaissance platoon is a specialty platoon comprised of infantry soldiers. Communications using, or data stored on, this is are not private, are subject to routine monitoring, interception, and search, and may be disclosed or used for any usgauthorized purpose. Todays lieutenants are learning to lead american soldiers in a time of war, when the stakes are greater and the challenges more complex than ever. This person is usually a junior officer a second or first lieutenant or an equivalent rank. Set yourself up for success right from the beginning. Chain of command goes from the platoon leader directly to the squad leaders. Oct 16, 2019 the marine corps platoon leaders course plc is an alternative for nrotc or ocs for college students who wish to become commissioned officers in the united states marine corps. The platoon leader receives orders from his her commander and passes them down to there platoon.
New platoon leader ebook for platoon leaders in the army national guard and army reserves. Additionally, over the past four years we have led the pro reading part of the platoon leader and company command online professional forums, which members can. Mar 01, 2012 in 2006, parnell was a neophyte army airborne ranger with the storied 10th mountain division, assigned as a new platoon leader in afghanistan, desperate to prove himself. This is especially true with communications equipment. Platoon leader was a great book to give you a concise glimpse into the reality of one young army leader in vietnam. As a platoon sergeant starts his or her relationship with a new lieutenant, it is imperative that he provides the best leadership for the platoon. You will use the equipment that you just signed for to accomplish those missions. Jul 05, 2009 a young officer, just out of west point is sent to vietnam, where the men dont respect him until he gets wounded and returns to be a wiser soldier and a better commander.
As platoon leader, you establish them along the most likely enemy avenues of approach into the position or into the area of operations. Mar 04, 2003 a remarkable memoir of smallunit leadership and the coming of age of a young soldier in combat in vietnam. Platoon leaders philosophy orders line of duty equal opportunity officer candidate school preparation warrior leadership course preparation useful vocabulary recommended army readings survey sop chain of command sexual harrassment us repneo warden. I have to travel well over 100 miles to get to the base and have to be there at a very early time in the morning. A young officer, just out of west point is sent to vietnam, where the men dont respect him until he gets wounded and returns to be a wiser soldier and a better commander. Mcdonough, introduces the book as a story of an american platoon leader in combat. Essentially a knock off of platoon, this bloodsoaked war drama chronicles the experiences of a west point graduate and his colleagues in the ruthless vietnamese jungles. Platoon leader details mcdonoughs time in vietnam commanding an undermanned platoon assigned to protecting a village in the strategic hamlet program. Fm 60, commander and staff organization and operations how to write doctrinally correct orders. Hot soup, fly molo, vlad, and dumper come back as enders squadron leaders in the war against the buggers, but they start as his toon leaders at battle school we think. Martin dempsey asked his soldiers and officers to read as part of their. Using a lean style and a sense of pacing drawn from the tautest of novels. The film is about a newly commissioned infantry lieutenant who arrives in vietnam to take over his first platoon.
A new york state regents scholarship and a parttime evening job were. Gone is the single map which is replaced with terrain cards that will allow you to configure a ton of map variations. As a commander, my platoon leaders and i strayed from this list at times. A leaders role in motivation is at times to understand. This reading list is not meant to be an endallbeall compilation of books to the. He had recommendations for how we should complete ours. This time of transition from cadet to officer is truly inspiring and naturally. Great resource, ensure you develop a good relationship. 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. R eading a post on the military leader one day, a question reminded me of a critical leadership lesson i learned from my time in command. Maintenance platoon leader star star star star star. These are the books i wish i read first before being a platoon leader. Your first 90 days as a parttime platoon leader 34 mins learn the critical things to do during your first 90 days as a platoon leader in the army national guard and army reserves. Basically when my platoon sergeant and i sat down for the initial.
Further, they can be no older than 26 on june 30 of the calendar. At any time, the usg may inspect and seize data stored on this is. As a platoon leader or co leader, who is holding me accountable. The platoon leader positions himself where he can best control the platoon. In 2006, parnell was a neophyte army airborne ranger with the storied 10th mountain division, assigned as a new platoon leader in afghanistan, desperate to prove himself. This is a thoughtful book of a platoon leaders time in vietnam. For the authors 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. Being an infantry platoon leader is the greatest job in the world. The trapped indigenous people along with the gore and horror of war. James starts the book as a freshfaced leader fresh out of west point who chose to serve in the vietnam war. It is also important that the platoon sergeant have save paper. A novel by dale a dye based on a screenplay by oliver stone and now turned. And, i dont have the time to do it when i am in between deployments.