Writing a book about the Army.......

CPL Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 00:12:52 -0400

So I want to write a book about the Army or basically off of my whole military career and how I managed to survive. Do you all think its a good idea even though I'll be pointing out a great deal of flaws within the military also?????

Response by LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow made Mar 26 at 2015 1:37 AM

LCDR Rabbah Rona Matlow — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 01:37:30 -0400

You want to write this while you're still in? Prepare to end your career, and face an Art. 15 or Art 32.

Also, I don't know what experiences you have had, but from your profile, it can't be that much.

I'm sorry, but I just don't see it as a good choice for you at this point in your career.

On the other hand, if this is an attempt at catharsis, due to being a survivor of harassment, assault or worse, I hope you are getting help dealing with them.

Feel free to contact me off line for help in dealing with whatever's going on...

Response by LTC Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2015 1:56 AM

LTC Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 01:56:47 -0400

CPL Private RallyPoint Member So, how long have you been in the Army? I am guessing no more then 3-4 years, at most. How do you the Army has a "great deal of flaws?" Be careful not to write about something you don't fully understand.

If you to write about your experiences in Basic Training / AIT, your units, deployments, whatever, I would go ahead. But until you have served a long, broad career, as a CPL (and not meant derogatory), there is no way you can possibly know that the military has a great deal of flaw!

Response by Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS made Mar 26 at 2015 10:08 AM

Sgt Aaron Kennedy, MS — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 10:08:27 -0400

The Army is a big subject.

What part of the Army do you want to write about?

You mentioned writing about your career. Rock on. But do you think people will be interested in it? Is it a compelling story? Are you starting with the day you showed up at basic, or years before and the choices that led you down that path?

You mention flaws. All organizations have flaws. Because they are designed for a specific purpose. The Army is designed for Ground Combat at its core, and if you were to try to make it do Naval Warfare, it would be terribly flawed. This is just to highlight structural flaws based on design. You don't ask a race car to get good mileage, just like you don't ask a motorcycle to fit 3 passengers. Those aren't flaws, those are design limitations.

The Army also has a lot of good. Will you be addressing that as well? It is significantly easier to tear things down than to build them up. Which road will you be taking?

What special insight will you be providing for the reader, or is this specifically for you, to document your own experiences? Sometimes we do things not for others but for ourselves. Other times, it is the opposite.

When it boils down to it, it doesn't matter what we think. It doesn't even matter if it is a "good" idea. If you think you "need" to do it, do it. Just be aware of the potential consequences.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2015 10:21 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 10:21:35 -0400

I think you would be creating a book that would hinder, not help. If you have research that substantiates your view of military "flaws" then have at it.

Down side of that is the Confirmation Bias and Negativity Bias. These things I just mentioned will have people looking only at things that help confirm their views or only focus on the negative side of what they are trying to convey.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2015 11:44 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 11:44:56 -0400

My advice to you is to be VERY cautious in doing so. At first glance, you most likely dont have no more than about 4-5 years in the army (just an estimate). You really havent experienced much and to point out 'flaws' will do the yourself and the army a disservice. Everything has flaws and pointing them without offering solutions isnt a wise approach. While I appluad you for wanting to share your experiences, I'd seek sound counsel before doing so.

Response by SSgt Todd Ricker made Mar 26 at 2015 12:51 PM

SSgt Todd Ricker — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 12:51:51 -0400

Great feed back from everyone. As I was pondering how I should word my 2 cents, I realized what a great way for a younger CPL to tell her story of her recent real life experience with Basic, AIT, Army life as a young person. I believe more young people would appreciate it coming from a CPL than a 20 year SGM.
Then keeping a diary through your career making it relivent, real life, and personal story about your military career - pros and cons of the Army, what you learned, how you led, how you learned from your leaders ect.

Response by PO2 Sam Tkach made Mar 26 at 2015 12:54 PM

PO2 Sam Tkach — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 12:54:26 -0400

I say go for it, but I would recommend you to write it as a fictional story where characters are under different names. This way it will be more appealing to the people. FYI, I just recently wrote a book like that about the Navy.

Response by 1SG Jason Fitzpatrick made Mar 26 at 2015 1:13 PM

1SG Jason Fitzpatrick — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 13:13:46 -0400

CPL Private RallyPoint Member I have often thought that writing a book that chronicles my military career would be both advantageous and humorous. I have even come up with titles and maybe even a small outline, "No Shit, there I was" or even "Front toward enemy...Really?" being a couple of possible titles. My personnal sucesses and failures, Unit sucesses and failures and more importantly, what I felt were the root causes for each would be included. I would encourage you to do some research and ensure that you talk to and document what is said by the people who were there with you as well, as that would lead to credibility and points of view.

I was a corporal for a couple of years too many. I even missed being promoted numerous times, as I had failed to add suffiecient points to get promoted. I could probably write a book about being a corporal.

I guess in short, I would say have a plan , have a theme, stick to the plan and ensure that if you point out flaws, you had better have cost effective solutions to the flaws that could have been easily implemented and were not. That is going to be a challenge. It has been pointed out that people are going to attack you for writing a "tell all" book to discredit you and your position. "If you ignore it, it will go away...if you ridicule it, it will be marginalized." Come with facts, dates, times and locations, and then use your sources that can substantiate your claims so that you wont be ignored or ridiculed.

Response by SGT Ben Keen made Mar 26 at 2015 1:21 PM

SGT Ben Keen — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 13:21:20 -0400

I'm actually working on getting my book together as well CPL Private RallyPoint Member. If you need help finding a publisher, please let me know. I'm working with one that only works with military authors and is ran by Veteran. Pretty awesome organization. Feel free to send me DM.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 26 at 2015 8:46 PM

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Thu, 26 Mar 2015 20:46:59 -0400

CPL Private RallyPoint Member Setting aside the whole issue of how writing a book articulating your candid views of the military would affect your career, I know I would be very interested in reading the book you proposed. I do not understand why your perspective is less valuable or interesting than someone who has served longer. I would argue that your unique perspective and experiences as a corporal make such a book well-worth reading. I would find it very valuable as a future PL to understand the problems and perspectives of young NCOs and junior enlisted Soldiers in order to better serve my Soldiers.

Response by MSgt Jamie Lyons made Mar 27 at 2015 8:59 AM

MSgt Jamie Lyons — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 08:59:19 -0400

CPL Mechelle Mitchell first of let me start by congradulating you on your success! And if writing your life on paper is your goal....I say go for it. I am not going to pretend I know what you have been through so I wish you luck in this endeavor. I will speak about what I do know though and maybe it will help you. Take it or leave it but I hope it can provide you another point of view.

I spent 18 years as a dependent in the military and followed that up with a successful 20 active duty career. I honestly could not speak intelligently about the military. As I reflect on my experiences I began to realize that I often don't understand the fundamental doctrine of the military and how I fit into the equation. I was just 1 piece of a 10000 piece puzzle. I could maybe write about the other pieces I touched but certainly not about all the other pieces embedded within the puzzle. I also couldn't talk about the picture I helped form, let alone the the sum of all those pictures that made up the whole picture. I wish I could, but I cant. I could take a guess, but I know guessing and assuming is a disaster at best.

After reading all the posts and your responses I feel a better subject that may bring you success is to maybe write about your perseverance. After all you said you have experienced a lot, fought in challenging discriminations, earned a degree and still overcame challenges within both your personal family environment and your military family environment. I feel as though if you write about your perseverance it may serve as a catalyst to motivation for people who are in the same positions you were. I'll bet that it may be a great attention getting novel and a good read. Plus it may inspire young people to believe they can accomplish the same things.

Anyway just thought I would say good luck and I hope it works out for you.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 27 at 2015 9:12 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 27 Mar 2015 21:12:15 -0400

CPL Private RallyPoint Member, nothing wrong with documenting your experiences, but do realize that your "secret" clearance is a factor.

Response by PFC Mike Mcdermott made Mar 28 at 2015 8:51 PM

PFC Mike Mcdermott — Sat, 28 Mar 2015 20:51:01 -0400

Unless your story of success involves cleaning weapons 20 hours a week, infantrymen won't be able to relate

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 5 at 2015 2:27 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 05 Apr 2015 02:27:54 -0400

I would wait till you got out of the military.

Response by Capt Private RallyPoint Member made Apr 7 at 2015 1:37 PM

Capt Private RallyPoint Member — Tue, 07 Apr 2015 13:37:30 -0400

What about a blog of your experiences? I have done something similar. Definitely be mindful of your criticism, especially if it can easily be traced back to a command or individuals. I censor those thoughts quite a bit. I am a big believer in the philosophy, "If you're not part of the solution, you're part of the problem." That criticism I have might better be directed at contributing to potential solutions versus ranting here and there.

Response by SSG John Caples made Nov 30 at 2015 6:02 PM

SSG John Caples — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 18:02:46 -0500

The Army is a brotherhood/sisterhood and I think it should write it but leave out some of the thing we hold dear with in our hearts

Response by SGT Victoria Belbusti made Nov 30 at 2015 7:01 PM

SGT Victoria Belbusti — Mon, 30 Nov 2015 19:01:20 -0500

The first question I would ask you is "why?" What are your reasons? For whom are you writing? What are the messages you want to covey to the world about the United States Army? If your "why" falls in line with the Army Values, then I don't see why not. I would also advise you to grow some thick skin. Book reviews will be harsher than the constructive criticism you have received on here from fellow soldiers.