Nine Weeks: A Teacher's Education in Army Basic Training

Nine Weeks tells the honest story of Army Basic Training. Rich Stowell left his career as a high school teacher and college education professor as an enlistee in the United States Army. At the barracks of F Battery, 1/40 Field Artillery at Fort Sill Oklahoma, he trained for just over two months as a Soldier in the most powerful Army in the world. His story is exceptional. As the oldest man in his training battery (of over 200 soldiers) and the most educated, Stowell had a unique vantage point from which to see and ponder the training regimen. He describes what it was like to live with privates who could have been his students just weeks before, and how young men are taught to fight in the most demanding atmosphere that America has ever produced Soldiers. Drawing on his experience as a professional teacher, he offers a candid assessment about the effectiveness of many components of the Basic Training Program. Informed people ought to know how the American Soldier is made. In nine weeks-the standard timeline for an Army Basic trainee- he illustrates the process with a sophisticated insight and humor that is a novelty in military books. Funny, yet reverent; critical and honest, Stowell brings refreshing wit and wisdom to the story of how young men are gathered from around the country and molded into modern battlefield warriors. It is a trip back in time for Soldiers who have run the gauntlet of Army Basic Training. Civilians will appreciate learning Army basics-their rationale and history-from Army rank to modern battlefield tactics. Americans of all ages and political persuasions, whether or not they have friends or family in the military, will enjoy learning about how United States Soldiers are trained.