Call for Professional Reading Lists

[Bill Jakola]

"The Drunkard's Walk, How Ramdomness Rules Our Lives"

In The Drunkard’s Walk Leonard Mlodinow provides readers with a wonderfully readable guide to how the mathematical laws of randomness affect our lives. With insight he shows how the hallmarks of chance are apparent in the course of events all around us. The understanding of randomness has brought about profound changes in the way we view our surroundings, and our universe. I am pleased that Leonard has skillfully explained this important branch of mathematics.

From Stephen Hawking.

Yes, from his formatible intellect, Dr. Hawking has a accurate description, but has not explained the value of this book for Soldiers, Marines, and other warriors. This book illuminates some of the causes of the the "fog of war" and is a helpful tool for reducing Clausewitze like "friction".

[William F. Owen]

Principles of War for the Information Age
I consider this one essential for really understanding the enduring and unchanging nature of war.

For CvC I consider this about the best analysis I have read so far.

Another Bloody Century by Colin Gray is an excellent antidote to the US "new war" fad, and War, Peace, and International Relations: An Introduction to Strategic History is an excellent primer to understanding what strategy actually is.

Strategy for Chaos is also very good.

[sabers8th]

Dave,
Hello. Scott Shaw and myself wrote an article soon to be published in Infantry magazine inregards to a Platoon Leader Six pack of books: Here is the excerpt of the article:


The PL Six-Pack
We selected books that appealed to us and others on both personal and professional levels. These books are constantly revisited on the website, commented on, and discussed. They are perennial favorites of ours and many others. They are combat focused. They are listed in no certain order.

The Killing Zone: My Life in the Vietnam War – Frederick Downs (ISBN-10: 0393310892)
The Killing Zone is the story of a platoon leader in Company D, 1st Battalion, 14th Infantry as part of 3rd Bde, 4th Infantry Division during 1967. Downs goes through a growing period from green lieutenant to seasoned platoon leader. This book enables you to put lieutenants into a situation that they are comfortable with – a tactical situation not unlike something that they did in ROTC or at West Point. It presents ethical, moral, and tactical challenges such as asking what they might do in certain situations. Several company commanders have used it as a primer for deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan.

Stalking the Vietcong: Inside Operation Phoenix: A Personal Account – Stuart Herrington (ISBN-10: 0345472519)
This book is a look inside both the intelligence world and the world of tactical advising. It shows how one man was able to break into the Vietcong at the local level. Herrington’s description of the “usual methods” and then his later use of cultural knowledge, language, and charm are brilliant and something that a platoon leader on the streets could emulate. This book shows why the step “Understand” was added to the battle command process.

The Defense of Jisr al-Doreaa: With E. D. Swinton's "The Defence of Duffer's Drift" - Michael L. Burgoyne, Albert J. Marckwardt (ISBN-10: 0226080935)
This book, by two amazing captains of cavalry, presents a modern day look at countering insurgency. It is “The Defense of Duffer’s Drift” using Iraq as a backdrop and includes that book as well – one of our favorite books. This short read takes LT Phil Connors (of Groundhog Day fame) from the receipt of his first mission – control the town of Jisr al-Doreaa – and follows his actions through the six times that it takes to get it right. The book by itself is an excellent discussion primer, and the accompanying website (http://www.defenseofjad.com) includes the dreams in a series of vignettes that leaders can use, free of charge, before or after reading what LT Connors did. It can be an, “I can do better” or a “Here’s what this guy did” for your officers.

Platoon Leader: A Memoir of Command in Combat – James McDonough (ISBN-10: 0891418008)
Platoon Leader, the story of 2LT James McDonough and his platoon in the 173rd Airborne Brigade in Vietnam, is the narrative of a platoon leader assuming command in combat. It is an intimate look at complacency in units and the aftermath of that complacency. McDonough’s book is open and honest to the point of him freely admitting the mistakes he made that would be natural to any platoon leader.

Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest – Stephen Ambrose (ISBN-10: 074322454X)

This book is a classic study of one unit from its inception to end and illustrates how much leadership matters. Band of Brothers (and the corresponding HBO series) follows one American airborne infantry company from its formation at the beginning of World War II to its deactivation at the end of the war while the books Beyond Band of Brothers: The War Memoirs of Major Dick Winters, by Dick Winters and Cole C. Kingseed ISBN-10: 0425213757, and others written by Don Malarkey, Buck Compton, David Keynon Webster, and Bill Guarnere serve as material to understand other viewpoints on how Soldiers view their leaders at all levels within a company.

On Combat: The Psychology and Physiology of Deadly Conflict in War and Peace– Dave Grossman, Loren W. Christensen (ISBN-10: 0964920514)

On Combat is an “examination of what it takes to perform, cope and survive in the toxicity of deadly combat.” This book offers a look at PTSD from how to survive and cope with its symptoms to helping others who may be suffering. As a book, it is particularly valuable to understanding what is happening to both the leader and those being led in combat.

An Added Bonus Shot - Once an Eagle Anton Meyer (ISBN-10 0060084359)

Hailed as the book that re-defined our values as an Army after Vietnam, Once an Eagle is the story of Sam Damon from his enlistment in the Army prior to the Punitive Expedition into Mexico through two World Wars, Korea, and Vietnam. This book provides a look at the hard ethical choices that our leaders must make in and out of combat and is a good primer for discussion within a company. It’s a little long, but the read is worth it.

Hope this helps out.

VR

Kelly Jones and Scott Shaw