Summer reading series, part one “OutLaw Platoon”
June 1st, 2012 Posted in The SandGram v1.0Outlaw Platoon by Sean Parnell and John Bruning:
I have read a lot of books over the years written by folks who experienced firsthand the call to duty through different wars. These are books that place you with them as they experience the upheavals of war as seen through their eyes. This is the first book where I have witnessed such brutal honesty of what it’s like to be a platoon commander in battle and where a person has been so open about it. There are things here that are never shared in the open and will allow you to understand where are Vets have been when they deploy.
Sean Parnell puts you in the driver’s seat for a firsthand look into the battles raging daily on the Eastern border of Afghanistan. He is blunt and spot on with his depictions of life there as a young Infantry Platoon Commander with his “Outlaw Platoon” through the various battles he experienced in the course of a year or more. These battles resulted in serious head injuries to him but this guy refused to get them checked out for fear of leaving his men.
I have a new required reading for all Marine Lieutenants who desire the coveted Infantry Platoon Commanders job. There are so many leadership lessons salted away throughout the book that I can’t even begin to describe them all.
Army or Marine, Officer or Enlisted, you will find your spot in Sean’s platoon and easily identify with all of his men. The triumphs and the low points one experience’s in the field and on the line out in combat are all combined throughout the three hundred and seventy pages. You are reading about America’s newest “Greatest Generation” as they answer the call for America and set the benchmark for future generations down the road in their service to our country.
My greatest regret is not having finished Sean’s book before I was able to meet the man in person last week at a charity shooting event. He is every bit the leader that I would follow through the gates of Hell in a heartbeat! If you have a summer reading list, this is a must download book. If you have anyone serving in the military, buy this book for them and let them know they will be a better person for reading it.
To Sean, thank you for your honesty and the sharing of your life. To the men of Outlaw Platoon, I say job well done in such a horrific situation. To those men still in the fight, God Bless you all for what you are doing to protect America and continue to take the fight to the enemy.
Semper Fi, Taco
