5 Great Military Books That Honor Veterans

Red Platoon: A True Story of American Valor 

In the morning hours on Oct. 3, 2009, the isolated US outpost of Keating in Afghanistan’s Nuristan Province was suddenly attacked by an ambush of 300 Taliban fighters. Former Staff Sgt. Clinton Romesha was serving there at the time, and his book, Red Platoon, tells a story: a story of his platoon, his brothers-in-arms, and the frantic frenzy that ensued that fateful morning.

Red Platoon, with its fairly limited focus on the Battle of Keating, offers a level of in-depth battle writing seen in few other recent war books. It reads as if one is there, right alongside Romesha, trying to stop the Taliban and stave off the deaths of his fellow soldiers. Given that the first part of the book was spent fleshing out who these men are and were, these deaths resonate with the reader, giving us an insight into Romesha’s experiences.

Civilians and veterans both will appreciate Romesha’s candid emotions, from the way he recalls his former comrades to the dedications he writes at the end of the book, honoring their ultimate sacrifice.

Tags: All the Gallant Men, American Sniper, Red Platoon, Six Years In The Hanoi Hilton, The Operator, Veterans Day