''Platoon Leader'' is a

memoir A memoir (; , ) is any nonfiction narrative writing based in the author's personal memories. The assertions made in the work are thus understood to be factual. While memoir has historically been defined as a subcategory of biography or autobi ...

by James R. McDonough. It is narrated by McDonough in first person view and tells of his story in the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

as a lieutenant in command of 2nd Platoon, Bravo Company, 4th Battalion, 503rd Infantry(Airborne). It was loosely adapted into the 1988 film ''

Platoon Leader {{unreferenced, date=February 2013 A platoon leader (NATO) or platoon commander (more common in Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth militaries and the United States Marine Corps, US Marine Corps) is the officer in charge of a platoon. This pers ...

''.

Plot introduction

''Platoon Leader'' is a true story told by James R. McDonough, a Vietnam War veteran. The book takes place in and around a fort near a Vietnamese village in Binh Dinh province. It is McDonough's retelling of his time in Vietnam. He wrote the book as an officer development tool while he was a battalion commander.

Plot summary

The author, James R. McDonough, introduces the book as a story of an "American platoon leader in combat." James McDonough begins the story with a brief introduction and the summary of his childhood in New York and decision to enter the

United States Military Academy The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a fort, since it sits on strategic high groun ...

. After graduating West Point, Ranger school, and

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and marine i ...

officer basic course, Lieutenant McDonough leaves his wife and infant son and deploys to Vietnam as part of the Vietnam War. Two of his classmates sit beside him on the flight over to the combat zone. After meeting a shell-shocked first lieutenant from the same unit to which he is assigned, he soon takes command of his first platoon. McDonough soon meets SFC Hernandez, his former Ranger school instructor and now platoon sergeant. Friction develops between the two after McDonough takes control during an attack on their platoon area of operations. Eventually Hernandez is transferred out of the platoon after a suspected assault on a female Viet Cong member who the platoon had taken as a prisoner of war. He receives another platoon sergeant, SFC Palloman who is a much better soldier relative to Hernandez, and is very willing to go on patrol. McDonough's unit continues to face combat from the Viet Cong, through ambushes while on patrol, and through conventional attacks on their base. During McDonough's last days with the platoon, the village the platoon is protecting is violently assaulted by the Viet Cong, and many civilians are killed. As McDonough leaves, he feels the War is and has been a lost cause. McDonough faces a variety of morally ambiguous situations throughout the book. Eventually he completes his tour and returns home to his wife and son to continue his Army career. 1985 non-fiction books Vietnam War memoirs {{Vietnam-war-memoir-stub