No comments about Introduction to Leadership, MSL I, Revised Edition (BOLC I: Army ROTC).

No comments about Ethics and the Military Profession: The Moral Foundations of Leadership: Navy Senior ROTC Edition.

No comments about Terry's Hunters: The true story of the Hunters ROTC Guerrillas.

5 comments about Army 101: Inside ROTC in a Time of War.

1. Written by freelance journalist and war correspondent David Axe, Army 101: Inside ROTC in a Time of War is a straight-talk look at the state of the modern Reserve Officers Training Corps, and the lives of the college students who participate in them - in effect, minoring in the military while pursuing degrees in other fields. Drawn largely extensive interviews with ROTC recruits, Army 101 touches on everything from nighttime training exercises to the procedures and jargon of the ROTC classroom to the annual Ranger Challenge, a.k.a. "the varsity sport of ROTC". Of special note is how the war in Iraq affects ROTC recruitment and graduates; deployment in Iraq is sometimes even used as a punishment for egregious offences. "In 2004, when the situation in Iraq begins to turn south and the media start asking questions, Cadet Command issues 'public affairs guidance' to all ROTC units. The twenty-eight-page document advises cadets and cadre to be wary of reporters and even provides stock responses to potential questions [such as] Q: Should the US have taken military action against Iraq? A: Our national leaders must decide the question of whether or not the US should take military action. It would clearly be inappropriate of me to attempt to second-guess them." An unbiased, insightful look into the trials and challenges facing America's "civilian soldiers", especially recommended for anyone considering joining the ROTC.



2. I honestly don't understand the points of view of those rating this book with one star. Having gone through ROTC in a Pittsburgh college, I found his book very reminescent of my experiences, down to the amateurish ambush exercise to the "Advanced Camp" (mine was at Ft Bragg). This is a good book, short, but illuminating as to the ROTC culture in many universities, with the addition of the Iraqi conflict looming over them. This book is not intended to be an in-depth discussion of ROTC and its pros and cons, but rather a snapshot of the experiences of one class. I think David Axe has written this book well and I recommend it to both ROTC grads who want to smile at the stories and those wondering what it's all about.



3. Full disclosure: I am a serving Army officer, a product of ROTC, and OIF veteran. I'm no right-winger, didn't vote for Bush, and was glad to see Rumsfeld go. But I went into Army 101 thinking it would be a snapshot of ROTC, for better or for worse, and was unpleasantly surprised by the tone of this micro-novel and the half-truths I found on every page.
   
   It was a very quick read, without any weighty intellectualism to slow me down as I tore through this nasty little book. Axe-- a writer for the Village Voice, no less-- finds a way to work his anti-war sentiment into every crevice of this book while simultaneously failing to accurately capture the spirit and motivation of the young men and women who are preparing to lead the next generation of American Soldiers. Axe skips out on the key notes-- the patriotism of these cadets, their desire to serve their country, regardless of our President or foreign policy-- and then dishonors them by highlighting their shortcomings and smears the more motivated amongst them with the typical catcalls of warmonger and babykiller, although couched in more contemporary terms. Other comments here suggest that he missed the more motivated and "squared-away" demographic of cadets, and I'm unsurprised that he found time to talk to the ones who couldn't hack it. Smart, motivated, successful young men and women who are eager to serve their nation and willing to face death in defense of their principles aren't the sort of thing that gets a lot of ink in the Village Voice.
   
   I hate to use the term "agitprop", but I'm afraid this book is little more than that, and rather unexceptional agitprop indeed. Michael Moore writes books like this, only with better research, less obfuscation of his bias, and just as much ignorance.
   
   Not worth the money in hardcover, and I doubt it will last the test of time. Skip this, or wait until a paperback copy lands in the free book bin of your local second-hand book store.



4. This is a very good book for someone who would like a introduction to Army ROTC or any ROTC at that. Go inside the lives of several cadets as they sweat and cry their way towards their goal of being Army Officers.
   
   The one thing I would have liked more was if it was longer. I felt this book was way to short and the author could have added a lot more. I also feel like there were empty spots in the book where more detail could have been.



5. Really, go get the Bill Murray movie Stripes and watch it-- it's a better and more inspiring military story than this. I'm just amazed, from how this guy writes about not just our military stuff but ANY military stuff, that he didn't use the word "facist" in there. You might as well listen to the song "Three Five Zero Zero" from the musical Hair instead from his take. (And, being an Army ROTC graduate who'd gone through what the author's written about in the book, I think he could've spent more time and gotten more unvarnished this-is-it material for a bigger/better book instead of just being negative.) If you think soldiers are suckers fighting in Iraq to increase Dick Cheney's portfolio with Haliburton, then this book is for you (be sure to get that 40th Anniversary edition of Jane Fonda's FTA with it too).

2 comments about Making Citizen-Soldiers: ROTC and the Ideology of American Military Service.

1. _Making Citizen-Soldiers_ is a very readable study of a unique American institution, the Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC). No other country trains the majority of its military officers on civilian college campuses; Neiberg's work explains how that unique situation came about, and why it remains the mainstay of military officer training in America.

   Neiberg traces two threads in the American military tradition: professionalism and the citizen-soldier ideal, the latter embodied in the Minuteman of Revolutionary days. Neiberg shows a tradition of distrust of professional soldiers in the United States, stretching back to the Colonial period. This distrust is focused especially on professional officers who graduate from one of the service academies.

   The tension between the need for a military strong enough to defend the nation's interests and the distrust of a professional military leads to the creation of ROTC. Neiberg shows how the program's creation and development have continued to reflect the tension between the professional and citizen-soldier ideals.

   Neiberg's work is insightful, well-researched, and of great value to those with an interest in civil-military relations, past, present, or future; in short - well worth one's time.




2. As an ROTC cadet and a former enlisted soldier, I am very pleased with the book. It provides an excellent look of the origin and development of ROTC in the United States. I am giving four stars instead of five because the book ends in the 1980s, and some significant changes have happened since then. Still, I highly recommend "Making Citizen-Soldiers..." for understanding not just ROTC, but also US military culture...

No comments about MSL 301 Leadership and Problem Solving Text, Workbook, and CD.

No comments about The Foundations of the United States Air Force: Air and Space Studies 100, Air Force ROTC (2007 Edition T-107).

No comments about MSL 101 Foundations of Officership Text, Workbook, and CD.

3 comments about Not a Gentleman's War: An Inside View of Junior Officers in the Vietnam War.

1. As a Vietnam vet, I have often said that there are two types of people when it comes to understanding Vietnam, those who think they do but really don't, and those who really do and wish they didn't. Finally here is a book that can bring some understanding to everyone. The issue of the junior Officer in Nam has been a source of concern for years because we had been so misrepresented for so long by senior Officers and many Government Officials. But then, I include them as among those who don't really understand. Ron has finally documented the facts very well and brought logic and sense to the issues. His work explains things in a way I was never able to do. Perhaps I should mention that I could be bias to some degree since I not only served in Nam as a junior Officer, I was also in the same OCS class with Ron Milam, and although we were not friends at the time, we are now. If you are really interested in understanding what happened in the Vietnam War, please read this book!



2. Not a Gentleman's War: An Inside View of Junior Officers in the Vietnam War is the story of the 5,069 junior officers who died in Vietnam as well as the ones who survived. We are reminded all officers had volunteered to lead men in battle. Based on Ron Milam's detailed and thorough research, Not a Gentleman's War: An Inside View of Junior Officers in the Vietnam War gives an excellent analysis of these men. The author has the rare combination of scholarly research and with an easy reading text. The book is divided into two main parts.
   
   Part one views the future officers and officers in the United States. It examines their officer training programs: West Point, Officer Candidate School (OCS), and Army Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC). The selection, training, and evaluation process of each is explained in detail. We see how the army ramped up for the increased demand in officers. We feel the arrogance of the West Point educated toward the Infantry Officer Basic Course and the slow change of curriculum at the United States Military Academy. We learn that the majority of officers were commissioned through ROTC. We find out the selection standards were not lowered for OCS. We are reminded that changing views on campus impacted the world views of men commissioned through ROTC.
   
   Part two has the young officer in Vietnam. The four chapters in this section examine the junior officer's performance as combat leaders. We experience the life and death tests they faced. We confront the myths about the men. We experience the different leadership challenges of being on a mission in the field and being in a firebase or in garrison such as preventing alcohol and drug abuse as well as racial tensions.
   
   Myths about the Vietnam War say the junior officer was a no-talent, inadequately trained, and unenthusiastic soldier. Lt. William Calley of My Lai often is held up as the typical junior officer baby killer. Ron Milam debunks this view with detailed research including oral histories, after-action reports, diaries, letters, and other records.
   
   The author has excellent primary resource materials. He clearly shows that most of the lieutenants who served in combat performed their duties well. The junior officers were effective. They served with great skill. While they were not always clean shaven and often had mud on their boots, they were dedicated and committed to the men they led. Ron Milam's story provides a vibrant, you-are-there portrayal of what the platoon leader faced and his ability to meet the challenges as documented by field reports and evaluations of their superior officers.
   
   This is a book that all students of the Vietnam War should read. I encourage all military officers to read the book as well. Not a Gentleman's War: An Inside View of Junior Officers in the Vietnam War should be in every college library in the world. Ron Milam has written an excellent book. Dr. Milam is assistant professor of military history at Texas tech University.
   
   On a personal level, the book helped me better understand my own experience as an US Army officer. I received my officer training through the ROTC between 1971 and 1975. Some of the training I received was based on decisions explained in the book.



3. I agree with the two reviews already posted that the book is an excellent examination of junior officer performance in Vietnam. I was in the college class of 1961 and, as such, completed my active duty obligation with a ROTC commission before Vietnam heated up. Indeed, Cuba was the hot spot during my active duty tenure 11/61 to 11/63.
   
   Aside from a few nit picking things, one thing I would criticize is Milam doesn't seem to comprehend the ROTC process, particularly the branch schools we attended after commissioning as Reserve officers, as opposed to Regular Army officers.
   
   A ROTC commission required completion of the two year advanced ROTC course. We were commissioned upon graduation into the Army Reserves. We had a six year obligation: two years active duty; two years active Reserves meaning weekly then monthly drills; and finally two years in standby reserves.
   
   We Reserve officers did not attend the branches' Officers Basic Course, OBC, as Milam says. I attended the Field Artillery Officers Orientation Course at Ft. Sill which lasted from mid-November until the end of January with time off for Thanksgiving and Christmas. The OBC lasted much longer and for Artillery officers included course work at the Field Artillery School at Ft. Sill and also the Air Defense Artillery School at Ft. Bliss and was much longer. My ROTC classmates tell me their respective branches handled them similarly.
   
   Milam makes no mention of different training for Reserve and Regular Army ROTC graduates. I found the FAOOC course to be demanding academically and upon graduation I could do all the jobs a battery level FA officer could be expected to do. There was no physical training what so ever. We were told the course was hard enough academically that we didn't need to be bothered by PT. We were not given the opportunity to volunteer for Ranger or Airborne. We were given the opportunity to extend, it was called going voluntary/indefinite, at the ends of our active duty commitment, but I got a civilian job and never looked back.
   
   My nit picks are that the maps of Vietnam on pp. 74-75 are unreadable at any detail less than country level. The phrase is "macht nichts" not "mocks nicks." And two tables didn't seem to illustrate what the author was trying to show. These are nit picks and do not detract from Milam's thesis and argument. I agree that it is an excellent book.
   
   One thing I would like to see is data on how long the products of the USMA, ROTC, and OCS stayed in the Army. Ninety percent of the officers that were assigned to DivArty with the Second Armored Division with me left after their two year active duty requirement was fulfilled. That's not a very high retention rate.

5 comments about How to Win Rotc Scholarships: An In-Depth, Behind-The-Scenes Look at the Rotc Scholarship Selection Process.

1. I was just an average applicant and this book helped me win a 4-Year Navy Option Scholarship. Do what the book says and follow its examples and it will lead you to a ROTC scholarship.



2. As a father trying to help his son get a scholarship, this book was a blesing. Not a whole lot of fluff in here, this book gives it to you the ways it is. The insight into how the process worked really helped. The guidance obviously worked; my son recieved a full 4 year Naval ROTC scholarship! AWESOME! I can't tell you how much tuition this book saved our family! And more importantly, our son can serve his country.



3. I bought this book because I thought maybe this small ... purchase can save me tens of thousands over the next few years, and it did. I just won a Full 4 year scholarship to Niagara University (Top ROTC school in northeast)

   This book works, it flat out tells you tricks on how to win the scholarships.




4. Excellent resource. I had no idea what to expect but was very pleased with the purchase. It was very clearly written and made the process very transparent - particularly the chapter on diversity.



5. this is a very outdated book, and totally underwhelming in its content.
   
   You are much better off registering web site for ROTC forum discussion. You get amazing tips, information, and up to date insight on how to win scholarship.
   
   This kind of book may have been helpful pre Internet. However, in the age of open information on the Web, there is no reason to buy it.
   
   it was a total waste of money for us.