Francis J. West

Battalion 3/5 suffered the highest number of casualties in the war in Afghanistan. This is the story of one platoon in that distinguished battalion. Aware of U.S. plans to withdraw from the country, knowing their efforts were only a footprint in the sand, the fifty Marines of 3rd Platoon fought in Sangin, the most dangerous district in all of Afghanistan. So heavy were the casualties that the Secretary of Defense offered to pull the Marines out. Instead, they pushed forward. Each Marine in 3rd Platoon patrolled two and a half miles a day for six months--a total of one million steps--in search of a ghostlike enemy that struck without warning. Every day brought a new skirmish. Each footfall might trigger an IED. Half the Marines in 3rd Platoon didn't make it intact to the end of the tour. This is the story of the fifty brave men who faced these grim odds and refused to back down.--From publisher description.

a marine platoon at war

One million steps

When his friend is kidnapped by Serbs on his way out of Kosovo, Captain Mark Lang and his recon team, the Pepperdogs, embark on a dangerous rescue mission deep into Serbian territory.

A Novel

The Pepperdogs

Bing West

Looks at the events, personalities, and political maneuvering of the struggle to establish peace in Fallujah, following strategy discussions between military officers, dangerous night patrols with the U.S. Marines, and peace negotiations.

A Frontline Account of the Battle for Fallujah

No True Glory

First published in 1972, The Village is a vivid and unbiased portrait of one Vietnamese hamlet in the grip of war -- and the daily lives, battles, and frustrations of its inhabitants, PF's and Marines. Few books have so convincingly or so personally evoked the Vietnam war's direct and devastating impact on real individuals and communities. Book jacket.

Francis J. West

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