WE'RE ON TV!

My oldest son, Robbie, and I were recently interviewed by the local NBC TV affiliate to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the University of Tennessee ROTC program.

I graduated from UT ROTC in the 90s and Robbie just finished his freshman year in the same program. It was an honor for us to be asked to speak for this outstanding program and to be a part of its rich history.

This was a great experience for us and we are very thankful for the opportunity to do this as father and son.

Special thanks go out from us to John Becker of WBIR and Lee Dalton of University of Tennessee ROTC.

The Warrior Poets

My novel, Ghosts of Babylon, was recently highlighted in Indie Review Tracker.

Karin Cox was kind enough to allow me to write a guest post about writing from a veteran's perspective.

The piece is called The Warrior Poets: How writing can soothe a troubled soul.

So far, this article has sparked some great feedback.

Thank you, Karin, for your kind words and support.

Book Review: C.R.O.W.

 

Buy C.R.O.W. on Amazon

 

     This story is told from the first person perspective of a fresh-faced recruit to the drop ship infantry, the future equivalent of the airborne infantry. The author is a veteran of the British infantry and it shows. Every page drips with authenticity (quite an accomplishment for a sci-fi novel).

     Richards' prose isn't polished as other works, but it shouldn't be. The present form preserves the grit, gristle, and overall hardship of war. Refinement would probably take away from its gruff believability. The equipment, technology, and tactics are well thought out and explained without interrupting the narrative. Small details like the main character wondering why drop pods can deliver troops to a planet's surface from orbiting spacecraft but can't keep its passengers cool will be familiar to anyone that's ever been in an armored vehicle in the summer. And in the future, the chow still sucks. Some things never change. An account written by one of Alexander's men would likely have similar observations. This book captures the timeless elements of soldiering.

     A great read.

Army Officers and the Warrior Ethos

     The blog On Violence recently posted a number of articles on the culture of the U.S. Army and why junior officers are so often portrayed as incompenet bufoons in popular media. http://onviolence.com/?e=618#comm The discussion also addressed the performance of actual officers and the high standards achieved by lieutenants compared to their enlisted counterparts. Some called it classist. Others claimed the young officers were just better than the rank and file. I think they all missed the mark and replied as follows:

    

     This is a fascinating subject that I’ve given much thought and observation to over the years. I spent nine years as an Army combat arms officer, starting in the active force and ending in the National Guard with an Iraq deployment thrown in for good measure. The following observations refer to active Army combat leaders. The National Guard is an entirely different animal.

     It seems to me that lieutenants perform at such high levels (physical, technical, mental, ethical) because they have to. Their commanders expect it and so do the men they lead. It’s a cornerstone of the ancient warrior ethos. As the old adage goes, ‘You can’t lead from the rear.’ The Army is not an aristocracy. It’s a meritocracy. Rank and personal respect are earned, not given. As such, a lieutenant is not an aristocrat. He’s a warrior leader. The alpha male. Anybody about to lead a gang of hot blooded meat eating trigger pullers into combat better understand that. An LT that falls out of a run, fails to qualify on the rifle range, gets a DUI, or goes down as heat casualty is perceived as weak and usually relieved on the spot. Oh, by the way, good enough simply isn’t good enough. You better at or near the top. If you aren’t, neither your men nor your commander will respect you. And that’s before you even get to the officer stuff you gotta do. No excuses. No slack. It’s a pressure cooker. It’s hard as hell. And it makes for a damn fine officer corp. The same is true of junior NCOs. While he may not beat the LT, that buck sergeant better be able to outrun, outmarch, and outshoot his men. Fear of failure is a great motivator.

      Imagine being tossed into a platoon where everybody has more time in the chow line than you have in uniform with the punch line, ‘You’re in charge, o’ green and clueless one.’ No time to ease into the role. It’s sink or swim. All will step on their cranks at some point, but the smart ones learn from their mistakes. Some fail, but most find their way. The bad ones stick out like sore thumbs and cause hardship for their men. The good ones forge on, do their best, and make their men proud.

     There’s another part of the warrior ethos that is almost universally ignored by popular media. It’s the concept of putting the troops first. A warrior leader at any level eats last, sleeps least, and takes all the blame. Field Marshal Sir William Slim put it best when he said to his subordinates, “I tell you, as officers, that you will not eat, sleep, smoke, sit down or lie down until your soldiers have had a chance to do these things. If you do this, they will follow you to the ends of the earth. If you do not, I will break you in front of your regiments.” The U.S. Army sums this up in four words: Mission first. People always.

     The movie (and the book) We Were Soldiers gets it right. For brevity’s sake (too late), I’ll just say that the Sobelesque LT was the minority just as in actual units. I try to reflect such truth in my own writing.

     As to why does the media portrays officers with such disdain…When do they ever show leaders differently? You name it – police chiefs, fire chiefs, CEOs, politicians, even fathers. All are portrayed as incompetent, corrupt, or both. I suppose they think it makes for better storytelling. The groupthink is that good guys & boy scouts are boring. Even superheroes are pretty screwed up lately. They all have to have a dark side or be deeply troubled. The last one I can think of that didn’t have some serious mental issues was Christopher Reeves’ Superman in 1978.

     The lead by example mentality is what sets our military apart. A platoon leader’s job is tough. A company commander’s is even tougher. The crucible of platoon leadership separates the studs from the duds and makes for tough, demanding, competent, and uncompromising senior officers. Sure, there are exceptions and even the good ones screw up. But I’ve worked in many arenas with all kinds of people. And the officers, NCOs, and enlisted soldiers in the Army remain the finest I’ve ever met. I count it as an honor to have served in such fine company.

Starship Troopers Reloaded

     Here's a link to preview the new CGI film, Starship Troopers: Invasion.
This version of Robert A. Heinlein's classic novel is being touted as the most faithful film adaptation yet. I hope they're right. I watched this clip and it's pretty action-packed, but action isn't what made this book a classic.
     I first read this book as a young armor lieutenant. It was required reading for every officer in our battalion -- ordered by the colonel himself. I'm glad he did. The social commentary Heinlein deftly injected was like nothing I'd ever read before (yes, that's an admission of a misspent, literary deprived youth). The depth of subtle (sometimes not so subtle) examination of our society and its virtues and flaws made a HUGE and lasting impression. The concept of citizenship, the roll of the military in society, and the culture of the military itself (Everybody fights!) are key subjects that stand out in my mind. It made me a fan of sci-fi and has impacted my own writing in a big way.
     Again, I hope this new work does the original justice. Reminiscing about this amazing book makes me want to read it all over again.    

Great Article from a Fellow GWOT Veteran

This article is by Joe Kassabian. He's a writer, soldier, and artist. It deals with the difficulties of going from a war zone to the home front.

http://voices.yahoo.com/putting-down-rifle-picking-where-left-11497002.html?cat=9

Check it out and send Joe a comment!

A Powerful Cartoon

Thank you to all who served and continue to serve our country.

"We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night to visit violence upon those who would do us harm.”

                                                                                                       
                                                                                                       George Orwell

                           

Where are the novels about the war in Iraq & Afghanistan?

     I ran across an article today that asks a very interesting question: Where are the novels about Iraq and Afghanistan?
     The war is nearly ten years old now. Book stores and Amazon are running over with memiors, but where are the novels? Where are the attemptes to annalyze, understand, and explain the experience instead of merely reporting it?
     If you search Amazon for novels about the Global War on Terror (GWOT), you might get some Vince Flynn-style action and adventure titles, but nothing like Tim O'brien's The Things They Carried or even Crane's The Red Badge of Courage. I'd say Ghosts of Babylon is somewhere in the middle. Is there a market for modern war novels? I guess we'll find out.
    Here's the link to the story:  http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/06/wheres-the-great-novel-about-the-war-on-terror/240233/
Is the lack of modern war novels due to a change in readers, publishers, authors, or all three?
What do you think?