Reluctant Lieutenant: From Basic to OCS in the Sixties

Williams-Ford Texas A&M University Military History Series #94

by Jerry Morton, G. Kurt Piehler (Introduction)

With intimidating tales of bellowing drill instructors and their seemingly incongruous tasks, Reluctant Lieutenant captures the essence of what it meant to survive the training regimen of the Old Army.

Author Jerry Morton is as much at home describing blind navigation through the woods on a dark night as recounting the perils of smuggling a skin flick into his barracks at OCS. In this memoir, Morton reconstructs his reluctant journey through basic training, advanced infantry training, and Infantry Officer Candidate School during the Vietnam era. His is a unique record of what it was like to be a conscript in the U.S. Army in the late 1960s.

Morton's account also provides a roadmap to the sociology and culture of the military, especially the class system that divided college graduates from those with less education or economic stature yet did not override a solidarity in the field. He describes his disappointment and discomfort at being "killed" during training ambushes. But he also shows how someone with a master's degree in psychology could adapt to an environment in which the army did the thinking and the soldier the doing. However unintentional, by the end of his journey Morton was no longer a civilian but an officer, adept at army gamesmanship and ready for command.

This book offers an informative foray into the training system used during the Vietnam era, and veterans of the Old Army will find their memories kindled.

336 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 13, 2004

Reviews

[Leoma Gilley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had I known what Jerry Morton went through during his training, I would likely have been more adamant in my protesting of the Vietnam war! This appears to be a serious book, and in many ways it is. However, there is a lightness because of the personal reflections, reactions and emotions of the author. He was not passively receiving training, nor was he eager to go fight. When told absolutely NOT to do something, he often did it anyway. The majority of the book deals with Basic Training and Advanced Infantry Training. These were interesting experiences, and I could sympathize with the difficulties faced. However, the Officer Candidate School (OCS) was shocking. The ridiculous requirements and abusive treatment seemed totally unnecessary. There is a serious lack of meaningful learning that explains why the officers had no idea what to do when they hit Vietnam!

All in all, it is a fascinating read. My favorite chapter was about the Chipmunk. Don’t miss that one.

[Arthur Stewart · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’ve EVER had the teeniest, smallest glimmer of a question about what actually happens in Army training, you absolutely will enjoy reading this book! It tells it, first person, unvarnished, from the author’s training stint in the 60’s, as Viet Nam was ramping up to full force. You’ve probably heard rumors about Army basic training. Here, you can see things from the inside out. Beautifully done, and a great read. It’s all there. I laughed until I cried in The Chipmunk chapter.

[Michael Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun book to read. It brought back many memories.