| Category: | Memoir - Military |
|---|---|
| Author: | Jerry Morton |
| Publisher: | Texas A&M University Press |
| Publication Date: | April 13, 2004 |
| Number of Pages: | 336 |
| ISBN-10: | 158544359X |
| ISBN-13: | 978-1585443598 |
| ASIN: | B005HV2AOG |
During the military draft of 1966, Morton was caught by surprise. He was brought up to speed for Vietnam. He talks about his time in training and how he moved upwards in the military. Since he was enlisted, advances have been made in military training and profession, but certain similarities still exist. In one of the chapters, there is mention of bayonet training and how it comes secondary to learning how to clean the latrine because cleaning it well meant free time on Sunday, which the soldiers appreciated more than you’d think possible.
In Reluctant Lieutenant: From Basic to OCS in the Sixties, Jerry Morton recounts his personal experience of basic training and drills while in the Old Army. Anyone who has been a part of basic training or Officer Candidate School can relate to his stroll down memory lane. In this book, you learn a lot about the rushed drafting of soldiers for Vietnam. It makes you wonder whether they had sufficient training to survive the war but that question is not directly answered in the book. However, reading between the lines should provide you with answers to many pressing questions. An important detail Morton indirectly discusses is the social molding each soldier undergoes during training. He also divulges quite a bit about target practice, and how training was conducted using traditional bullseye targets while they would be tested with shooting camouflaged targets. According to him, the test should have been similar to the training. Morton soldiered through his basic training and graduated Officer Candidate School to become a commissioned officer. He spent the rest of his life in Fort Bragg, North Carolina while teaching at JFK Warfare School and penning his experiences in the Army.
This book is a retelling of Morton’s own life events and should help readers understand how we are all a product of our own unique experiences. It is told in crisp and beautiful prose and never lacking insights into life. The author allows values of resilience, perseverance, and humanity to shine through the narrative, providing episodes that are revelatory of military experience, entertaining, and thought-provoking. It is brilliantly written and filled with nuggets of wisdom.
Hand-picked reviews our authors and readers are loving right now
Essays, author interviews and publishing advice for curious readers and writers.
The Amazon Editors often get asked: What’s your favorite book? For the Editors who have more than one child, it’s probably easier to choose which they like best. But when it comes to books, we’ll likely have a different answer for you today than we will next week (or in a couple hours for that matter). Narrowing the fi...
Read the article →
Books open doors to different worlds, offering both entertainment and enlightenment. Whether diving into a gripping novel, exploring a thought-provoking nonfiction piece, or examining the layers of a critically acclaimed masterpiece, book reviews are invaluabl...
Read the article →
In the expansive canvas of human existence, words stand out as powerful tools for communication, connection, and transformation. Books, as timeless repositories of the written word, possess the unique ability to shape and transform our lives profoundly. This a...
Read the article →
I starred as nurse Lilian Raines on the soap opera the Guiding Light for nearly three decades. That is a long time to hold one job. Typically, when you hold a job for such a long time at one company, you advance up the corporate ladder. After twenty-six years,...
Read the article →
I do believe that the world has never been more fragile than it is now, but it’s definitely worth saving. We live in unprecedented times when our sustainability efforts as well as our technological advances and failures will soon define humanity. Perhaps des...
Read the article →
Recently I purchased a collection of Hitchcock CDs as a birthday present for my husband. He and I both enjoy watching them, even when we’ve seen them scads of times before. What’s especially fun about this collection is the bonus footage in the form of product...
Read the article →
 Mommys_Boy_6x9.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
