A Civilian's Guide to the U.S. Military: A comprehensive reference to the customs, language and structure of the Armed Forces

by Barbara Schading, Richard Schading

Attention! Learn more about your military now!

Does a corporal have to salute a lieutenant or is it the other way around? What are forward-deployed units? Is an "armored cow" a type of tank or something soldiers eat? Are Polaris missiles dropped from the air or launched from a submarine? If someone calls you a "Cat 4" should you be honored or offended?

Do you feel lost when it comes to all things military? Sure, you hear things on the news and maybe you know someone who is in the military, but you probably have a hard time fully grasping the acronyms, equipment, and protocol they discuss. That's where A Civilian's Guide to the U.S. Military can help. Author Barbara Schading decodes all things military for you. She discusses each branch—Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, and the Coast Guard—in simple terms you can understand. You'll get the background information, an easy-to-read chart showing rank and insignia, and an explanation of the organization of each branch.

In addition, the book has extensive glossaries that cover terms, acronyms, slang, and equipment. You'll find an entire chapter that covers special operations forces like the Green Berets, Force Recons, Army Rangers, and more. You'll learn about their specific training, missions, and history. The book also covers other important aspects of the military

   • flag and saluting etiquette
   • military funerals
   • the Tombs of the Unknown
   • the American Legion, USO, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and other groups
   • military law
   • military academies
   • medals and decorations
   • official military music
   • an explanation of the Geneva Convention
   • and a list of resources to help you find more information


So the next time you read the paper or talk with a new recruit, you don't have to feel lost. Become a knowledgeable civilian with the help of A Civilian's Guide to the U.S. Military .

Genres: Military Fiction, Nonfiction, Reference, Writing

384 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2006

Reviews

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent guide to the United States Military.This books provides everything from rank structure,description of the five branches,to acronyms and military jargon.

[Felicia Davin]

A useful reference on a subject I know nothing about.

[Kelly B]

More thesis reading. This is very much from the military point of view, and with just about that much personality. Very fact-oriented, but useful for brief refreshers on when machine guns were first used, and what the hell agent orange is, and oh yeah, what are the words to the Marine song?

[Meri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a very concise, easy to read overview of the military. I would give it five stars for what it was--interesting enough to keep reading, simple enough for outsiders to understand.

[Brent · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I did 10 years in the Navy after 4 years of ROTC and wanted to see what we could do to help civilians know what we did. However, reading it, I was struck by the large number of errors, omissions and flat out mistakes the author made. I stopped counting after a dozen or so in the Navy section and can only assume the other services that I know less about were the same. Two examples, one simple and one complex:

1. An E-1 in the Navy is not referred to as a Seaman Apprentice
2. A MEU(SOC) is *not* special forces in the way the author thinks of them. Having deployed on several, while we often carried a SEALs platoon, the MEU was not '2000 Force Recon' Marines.

It appeared to me that the author was Army-centric and didn't know very much about the other branches. This is an important topic, it deserves more careful, detail-oriented treatment.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

Clear and informative.

[WJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a useful reference for how the armed forces is organized, but a bit high level for someone wanting to write military fiction.

[Tori (Book Chick) · Rating 4 out of 5]

As an army mom this book has helped me when my son has tried to explain something regarding army life and I just don't get it ;) I especially enjoyed the chapter that included info about the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, etc.