Posted on Jun 5, 2015
Do you have any recommended reading for Junior Enlisted personnel?
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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: 
Professional Development
Enlisted
Professional Development Enlisted
Edited >1 y ago
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 61
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FM 6-100. Keep asking questions like this and you will be an NCO AND you will like it. Take sub-courses in leadership. There are leadership manuals here and there. If there is a college or university nearby, go to the book store and see what they have in leadership/management books.
Study your Soldiers' Manuals and integrate the leadership you learned. Get ALL the Soldiers' Manuals in your MOS, because being the expert you want to be, these leadership books and manuals will be a help in getting promoted or not.
Study your Soldiers' Manuals and integrate the leadership you learned. Get ALL the Soldiers' Manuals in your MOS, because being the expert you want to be, these leadership books and manuals will be a help in getting promoted or not.
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The Soldiers Guide (FM 7-21.13) and The Noncommissioned Officer Guide (FM 7-22.7). Both will provide a straightforward background on their duties as a a member of a team, but also building them up for the next step as an NCO.
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The U.S. Army Chief of Staff's Professional Reading List | Center of Military History
The U.S. Army Chief of Staff's Professional Reading List
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the military poetry of Rudyard Kipling: 'the 'eathen - where we get the phrase that everybody misquotes - the line from the poem is 'the backbone of the army is the non-commissioned man' , 'Tommy' for the Military/Civilian divide, 'The last of the Light Brigade' for homeless vets, 'Boots' for marching(you'll want to shoot me when you read that thinking of marching), 'Soldier and Sailor too' for the marines (Naval Infantry)
The Anabasis of Zenophon, a hard read but the basis of Andre Norton's Star Troopers, and John ringo's 'March Upcountry'
Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness' the basis of 'Apocalypse Now', and Joseph Conrad's 'Youth' a wonderful thing for the standard military misery
The Anabasis of Zenophon, a hard read but the basis of Andre Norton's Star Troopers, and John ringo's 'March Upcountry'
Joseph Conrad's "Heart of Darkness' the basis of 'Apocalypse Now', and Joseph Conrad's 'Youth' a wonderful thing for the standard military misery
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1LT William Clardy
Kipling is always a good read, for both enlisted and officer, SSG John Jensen:
An' now the hugly bullets come peckin' through the dust,
An' no one wants to face 'em, but every beggar must;
So, like a man in irons, which isn't glad to go,
They moves 'em off by companies uncommon stiff an' slow.
Of all 'is five years' schoolin' they don't remember much
Excep' the not retreatin', the step an' keepin' touch.
It looks like teachin' wasted when they duck an' spread an' 'op -
But if 'e 'adn't learned 'em they'd be all about the shop.
An' now it's 'Oo goes backward? " an' now it's " 'Oo comes on?
An’ now it's Get the doolies," an' now the Captain's gone;
An' now it's bloody murder, but all the while they 'ear
'Is voice, the same as barrick-drill, a-shepherdin' the rear.
E's just as sick as they are, 'is 'eart is like to split,
But 'e works 'em, works 'em, works 'em till he feels 'em take the bit;
The rest is 'oldin' steady till the watchful bugles play...
An' now the hugly bullets come peckin' through the dust,
An' no one wants to face 'em, but every beggar must;
So, like a man in irons, which isn't glad to go,
They moves 'em off by companies uncommon stiff an' slow.
Of all 'is five years' schoolin' they don't remember much
Excep' the not retreatin', the step an' keepin' touch.
It looks like teachin' wasted when they duck an' spread an' 'op -
But if 'e 'adn't learned 'em they'd be all about the shop.
An' now it's 'Oo goes backward? " an' now it's " 'Oo comes on?
An’ now it's Get the doolies," an' now the Captain's gone;
An' now it's bloody murder, but all the while they 'ear
'Is voice, the same as barrick-drill, a-shepherdin' the rear.
E's just as sick as they are, 'is 'eart is like to split,
But 'e works 'em, works 'em, works 'em till he feels 'em take the bit;
The rest is 'oldin' steady till the watchful bugles play...
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SSG John Jensen
"this Fell Sergeant, Death is quick in his arrest" Shakespeare Hamlet Act 5 sc 2
and I bet that you thought that the grim reaper was an officer
and I bet that you thought that the grim reaper was an officer
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1LT William Clardy
"To take your chance in the thick of a rush, with firing all about,
Is nothing so bad when you’ve cover to ’and, an’ leave an’ likin’ to shout;
But to stand an’ be still to the Birken’ead drill is a damn tough bullet to chew,
An’ they done it, the Jollies—’Er Majesty’s Jollies—soldier an’ sailor too!
Their work was done when it ’adn’t begun; they was younger nor me an’ you;
Their choice it was plain between drownin’ in ’eaps an’ bein’ mopped by the screw,
So they stood an’ was still to the Birken’ead drill, (2) soldier an’ sailor too!"
Is nothing so bad when you’ve cover to ’and, an’ leave an’ likin’ to shout;
But to stand an’ be still to the Birken’ead drill is a damn tough bullet to chew,
An’ they done it, the Jollies—’Er Majesty’s Jollies—soldier an’ sailor too!
Their work was done when it ’adn’t begun; they was younger nor me an’ you;
Their choice it was plain between drownin’ in ’eaps an’ bein’ mopped by the screw,
So they stood an’ was still to the Birken’ead drill, (2) soldier an’ sailor too!"
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SSG John Jensen
'Report to him[the King], then, that we must have a battle first; for we have had no breakfast, and there is no man alive who will dare to talk to Greeks about a truce unless he provides them with a breakfast'
Xenophon, the Anabasis (March Upcountry) written 400 B.C.
Xenophon, the Anabasis (March Upcountry) written 400 B.C.
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I guess my question would be, what is your purpose for reading?
Are you reading because its educational?
Pick your discipline and find whatever you can to read.
Or personal growth/leadership/management?
There are a lot of books out there that cover various points of view.
But I would suggest not reading just one author, but many different ones.
They may say the same thing, but in a different way and you can learn from the different perspectives.
And don't just stick with military authors, see what the civilian world does and thinks about
management and leadership. This especially helps when leaving the service, to understand how they
do things on the outside.
Or are you reading for the enjoyment of a good story?
Most of my reading was to relax, so I enjoyed a wide variety, depending on my mood.
La'Mour, Hillerman, Clancy, Brown, Tolkien are some of my favorite authors.
Everything from westerns, to mysteries, to action suspense, to the fantasy world.
On one 4 month cruise, I read close to 75 books and they were a combination of all of the books described above.
Are you reading because its educational?
Pick your discipline and find whatever you can to read.
Or personal growth/leadership/management?
There are a lot of books out there that cover various points of view.
But I would suggest not reading just one author, but many different ones.
They may say the same thing, but in a different way and you can learn from the different perspectives.
And don't just stick with military authors, see what the civilian world does and thinks about
management and leadership. This especially helps when leaving the service, to understand how they
do things on the outside.
Or are you reading for the enjoyment of a good story?
Most of my reading was to relax, so I enjoyed a wide variety, depending on my mood.
La'Mour, Hillerman, Clancy, Brown, Tolkien are some of my favorite authors.
Everything from westerns, to mysteries, to action suspense, to the fantasy world.
On one 4 month cruise, I read close to 75 books and they were a combination of all of the books described above.
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SFC (Join to see)
I was skeptical when I bet Grossman in the early '90s when the book came out, but having read it I'll say it is one of the best reads for a professional Soldier. No beating about the bush - is is about a Soldiers experience with death and killing; thoroughly researched and easily readable for anyone with a few brain cells to rub together.
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SGT (Join to see)
Starship Troopers. Do not watch the movie, read the book.
We Were Soldiers Once… And Young, this one you can watch the movie too.
The U.S. Constitution...read what it actually says and then can better defend what you took an oath to protect.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us
The Bible.
Starship Troopers. Do not watch the movie, read the book.
We Were Soldiers Once… And Young, this one you can watch the movie too.
The U.S. Constitution...read what it actually says and then can better defend what you took an oath to protect.
The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey
American Jihad: The Terrorists Living Among Us
The Bible.
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1LT William Clardy
Color me impressed, MSG Brad Sand.
You managed to mention both the book and movie versions of "Starship Troopers" in the same sentence without making me want to puke!
You managed to mention both the book and movie versions of "Starship Troopers" in the same sentence without making me want to puke!
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I always liked Jim Baen's approach -- hook 'em with samples that they'll enjoy first.
So here's an easy-to-read suggestion that most enlisted will enjoy, SGT (Join to see): "West of Honor" by Jerry Pournelle. It's military sci-fi written for the "young adult" market, and can lead to addiction when you find out that it's part of Pournelle's Co-Dominium series of stories. (I also recommend his "Janissaries" books, but those are thicker and there are only 3 so far -- the fourth is due out this September).
http://www.amazon.com/West-Honor-CoDominium-Future-History-ebook/dp/B00B9GYBF4/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid= [login to see] &sr=1-2&keywords=west+of+honor
So here's an easy-to-read suggestion that most enlisted will enjoy, SGT (Join to see): "West of Honor" by Jerry Pournelle. It's military sci-fi written for the "young adult" market, and can lead to addiction when you find out that it's part of Pournelle's Co-Dominium series of stories. (I also recommend his "Janissaries" books, but those are thicker and there are only 3 so far -- the fourth is due out this September).
http://www.amazon.com/West-Honor-CoDominium-Future-History-ebook/dp/B00B9GYBF4/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid= [login to see] &sr=1-2&keywords=west+of+honor
West of Honor (CoDominium Future History Book 1) 1, Jerry Pournelle - Amazon.com
West of Honor (CoDominium Future History Book 1) - Kindle edition by Jerry Pournelle. Download it once and read it on your Kindle device, PC, phones or tablets. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading West of Honor (CoDominium Future History Book 1).
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LCDR Doug Nordman
I remember reading Janissaries and its sequel in the 1980s. There's a third book out now? Did Pournelle reboot the series?
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1LT William Clardy
No, LCDR Doug Nordman, I don't think Dr. P would even think of rebooting any of his series.
If I'm remembering correctly, the sequence so far is "Janissaries", "Clan and Crown" and "Storms of Victory". The 4th book has been in progress for several years now, delayed by his other collaborations as well as the cancer treatment he underwent a couple of years ago, but Baen Publishing has it listed as due out this September.
If you liked "Janissaries", you might also find "King David's Spaceship" a good read -- it has some very vaguely similar plot aspects, but set in his Co-Dominium future history.
If I'm remembering correctly, the sequence so far is "Janissaries", "Clan and Crown" and "Storms of Victory". The 4th book has been in progress for several years now, delayed by his other collaborations as well as the cancer treatment he underwent a couple of years ago, but Baen Publishing has it listed as due out this September.
If you liked "Janissaries", you might also find "King David's Spaceship" a good read -- it has some very vaguely similar plot aspects, but set in his Co-Dominium future history.
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1LT William Clardy
Always happy to be an enabler for a fellow addict, LCDR Doug Nordman!
If you're interested, Dr. Pournelle also has a semi-regular blog which makes for thought-provoking reading:
http://www.jerrypournelle.com/chaosmanor/
If you're interested, Dr. Pournelle also has a semi-regular blog which makes for thought-provoking reading:
http://www.jerrypournelle.com/chaosmanor/
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