Thomas Ricks shares a passage from a book about the Korean War that I haven’t read yet:

The point man is way out in front of the others. It is his responsibility to detect any signs of an enemy ambush… When a point man sees something that really worries him, he will merely drop down flat on the ground, and everyone behind him will do the same.

The strain on a point man is constant and he is usually exhausted by the end of the patrol. Always volunteers. There are some men, like Van Horn, who are great at it and feel obligated he offer their services often… It may sound phony, but — to me — being a good point man requires talent. It is a beautiful thing to watch a good one at work.

… The usual method of locomotion is not merely to walk or step. The idea is obviously to move as quietly as possible. In an ideal sense, a man will support himself on one leg and with the other free foot he will poke gently at the ground in front of him. When he finds a spot that is free of twigs or leaves, he will put his weight on that foot and continue the process through the entire patrol. I have never seen Van Horn move any other way. The pace is dreamlike… In three minutes I had taken twenty-six steps — not quite nine steps a minute. [Tom Ricks - Best Defense]

I have read most books about the Korean War, but I haven’t read this one yet and the emphasis is on yet. It sounds like this book is focusing on the tactical level of the war, which few Korean War books have really covered. Most Korean War books seem to cover the strategic and political issues surrounding the war while only given token coverage to tactical details.

The price is very affordable on Amazon.com but doesn’t have a Kindle Edition yet unfortunately which is how I prefer to read my books now a days.