Posted on Jun 5, 2015
SGT Platoon Medic
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As a NCO or Officer can you recommend anything non-MOS related for lower enlisted soldiers to study or read over? All topics are welcomed.
Posted in these groups: Pd1 Professional DevelopmentEnlisted logo Enlisted
Edited 9 y ago
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Responses: 61
MAJ Ron Peery
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Man, that's a tall order.

If you haven't already done so, start by reading the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. That's what you have sworn to defend, so you need to know what's in there.

In general, I recommend reading any military history you can get your hands on. Especially books or articles written by people who were there. Caesar's Commentaries on the Gallic War is a good start. Maybe Sun Tzu and Clauswitz. Be warned.....Clauswitz is a difficult read because translators are seldom good writers.

There are a lot of good books written by soldiers who are Iraq and Afghanistan vets. Read them.

Read any and every FM you can get your hands on.

If you can stand it, you might read books on psychology, both for its value as a leadership tool and as a weapon against the enemy. War is a thing of the mind. I particularly recommend Grossman's "On Killing" and any of his other works in the relatively new field of "killology."

Science fiction! A lot of the best SciFi writers seem to have a pretty good handle on conflict, and their stuff is interesting.

If you are looking for specific books to read, contact me offline. I will try to put together a list of stuff I have in my library.
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SGT Jeremiah B.
SGT Jeremiah B.
9 y
"On Kiling" was a big one for me. Can't recommend it enough.
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LTC Jason Mackay
LTC Jason Mackay
9 y
Recommend this book as a companion to the classics. Would also recommend using the translation the War Colleges use (parrett for Art of War as an example). http://www.amazon.com/Masters-War-Classical-Strategic-Thought/dp/ [login to see]
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SSG Ralph Innes
SSG Ralph Innes
9 y
When you mentioned the Constitution you took the words right out of my mouth.
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LTC Instructor
LTC (Join to see)
9 y
Reading the Constitution and Amendments is one thing, but understanding the contents requires reading the subsequent interpretation. The journey from the Constitution to where we are today follows a long path. You don't have to agree with the results, but not reading the jurisprudence is missing the majority of the information. Start with Marbury v. Madison.
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MSG Operations Sergeant
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The Sergeant Major of the Army (previous) developed a recommended reading list by ranks. Lower enlistede E-1 through E-4 are covered here. This is the link: http://www.tradoc.army.mil/INCOPD/readinglist.html . If the SMA recommeds it, it should give you a great start!
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LTC Jason Mackay
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Starship Troopers Robert Heinlein. Also Google before you read it: Goldwater-Nichols Act, USMC 1956 Ribbon Creek Incident, Korean War POW negotiations, post World War II force reductions, tooth to tail, Lewis Millett, Heinlein USN medical discharge, National Security Act of 1947. The book was marketed as adolescent sci fi, but it really is the author's view of what our obligation is to defend our democracy. There are allusions to current events as they were in the late 1950s when he wrote this book.
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LTC Jason Mackay
LTC Jason Mackay
9 y
This used to be on CSA reading list for junior soldiers and cadets.
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SPC Safety Technician
SPC (Join to see)
9 y
I haven't read Starship Troopers, but I've heard it described as a pretty harsh critique of fascism/nationalism.
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1LT William Clardy
1LT William Clardy
9 y
The book "Starship Troopers" does include some very blunt political criticism, but my recollection is that most of its political commentary is very much in line with this quip from "The Notebooks of Lazarus Long":

Any government will work if authority and responsibility are equal and coordinate. This does not insure “good” government; it simply insures that it will work. But such governments are rare--most people want to run things but want no part of the blame. This used to be called the “backseat-driver syndrome.”
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SSG Lloyd Becker BSBA-HCM, MBA
SSG Lloyd Becker BSBA-HCM, MBA
9 y
You are going to need to learn about how to fight "bugs". The are all around us with AK-47s and they call themselves, ISIS, jidhadis and few other names.
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