One Bullet Away, Nathaniel Fick.
9.5/10
This is the autobiographical novel of the platoon leader in Generation Kill documenting his time in the Marines from the day he decides to join, through OCS, into Afghanistan in 2001 (He was supposed to sail to the Middle East on the afternoon of Sept 11, 2001 from Darbin) and through his days in Operation Enduring Freedom.
If you enjoyed reading Evan Wright's Generation Kill from that author's perspective, watching the mini-series on HBO (you can find it online free by a google search of "generation Kill online" it'll be the third result) which has more of the actual platoon's input as advisors on set including "Fruity" Rudy Reyes, then you'll probably like reading Lt. Fick's story as well. It really gives a third view of the events including his issues with command ahead of him.
Highly recommended.
Take a look at him giving a speech on the book and other topics in 2006 at this link:
http://www.pritzkermilitarylibrary.org/events/2006/07-13-nathaniel-fick.jsp
Let me just say that I judge a book by the feeling I get at the end. If it's great, I feel almost betrayed that it ended. One Bullet Away fulfills that to no end.
Having now read this, I have to change the book I am writing. To kill off a platoon of Marines in my work of fiction feels almost an insult to the men I read about in this book. In other words, it would be a **** thing to do.