Customer Reviews

To Benning and Back: The Making of a Citizen Soldier - My Journals of Daily Life in U.S. Army Basic Training and Officer Candidate School, from Private to Second Lieutenant, from First Call to Lights Out, and Yes, Everything in Between.

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I went through Marine Corps bootcamp over 16 years ago and I continue to serve in the Army Reserves today. After all these years I could still relate to this book. This unique book shares the trials and tribulations shared by all who experience bootcamp or basic training regardless of the branch. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is considering joining the military or who is simply interested in the military experience. I look forward to reading volumes II & III as well as other books by Monroe. Also,check out his website at [...].

Lt Mann captures what it is like to go through basic combat training and OCS. He lays out the good and bad of the US Army training methods for making warriors. Reminds me of the training when I went through in the 70's. He accurately captures the smell, feel, and fatigue of learning to operate in a new environment with new stress etc. He captures the essence of the training base Army. A fine read for someone who has gone through and wants to relive the experience- or for a prospective soldier wanting to know what to expect! I can't recommend this book highly enough and look forward to his next work. It is good to have a real patriot in the entertainment field. And thanks to his family for suppoort of this soldier.

Monroe Mann's "To Benning and Back: The Making of a Citizen Soldier" is an honest portrait of the United States Army's Basic Training at Fort Benning and the New York Army National Guard's Officer Candidate School at Camp Smith. Military literary sketches are often crowded with heroic jargon and feats of super hero performances, whereas, LT Mann's story tells of the heartache and uncertainty a soldier feels while undergoing some of the toughest training in the military. He holds nothing back. Not even the heroic jargon and super hero feats. This is Monroe's honest story of his ups and downs, his highs and lows, his good decisions and his bad. "To Benning and Back..." should be required reading for anyone considering the Army National Guard's Officer Candidate School.

Hooah,

Rudy

Monroe Mann's "To Benning and Back" is very inspiring and a great read as well. This is a fantastic book for anyone interested in better understanding the journey from citizen to Army Officer. I have read other books on this subject, but Monroe Mann's book provides the most personal insight into what one might expect to experience, and feel, while navigating through the entire process. I highly recommend this book.

ENS Rick - US Navy Reserve

Just read through about 230 pages of Monroe Mann's journal/diary account of his days spent at BCT and OCS and will read no farther. His book, entitled [u]To Benning and Back: The Making of a Citizen Soldier[/u], is a shameless and puling account of a snivelling boy's journey (he certainly was not a man when he wrote the entries) through the Army indoctrination and training process. It is a ceaseless series of whining entries about how difficult boot camp is and how he continually doubts his decision to join the Army--note: Mann really wants to be an actor and fears that his Army training will interfere with his acting career. He even goes so far as to say that he would prefer playing the role of an officer than actually being an officer! The author also shares with his readers startling revelations about how boot camp is uncomfortable--DS's actually yell at you and make you exercise--outrageous! and I thought boot camp was a day spa--glad he set me straight on that. He also tells his readers that Boot Camp is not fun (really, I thought is was a Disneyland simulation!)--while at Boot Camp you actually have to work and accept accountability for your actions; he even reveals that you have to be responsible while you are there--what was the Army thinking! Mann is a middling author at best (and, that's being kind), and a poorly motivated and uninspiring officer at worst. He is not the kind of man I want leading my men into battle.

Final note: There is one good lesson to be taken from Mann's book: if you find that your feelings about training and a career as an officer resemble those of the author, you had best remain clear of military service. The military needs leaders who find satisfaction in getting the job done, not doubting malcontents who bridle against every hardship.

Adversity causes some men to break and others to break records
--anonymous

Monroe Mann's journal, To Benning And Back, is a personal diary of his experiences at the Army's two most physically and mentally challenging schools. Not just a personal diary, it's an intimate portrait of one man's survival through basic training and the officer candidate school, seen through the indecisive eyes of a patriot and aspiring actor. I thought when ordering this book that it would be the typical story about a soldier who, despite all odds, achieves his goals and has his life projected into superstar status. Boy, was I close but there's more to it than that. Throughout Mann's experiences, we learn great insights into surviving and succeeding in the Army. The stories are good, the writing is amusing and the references are priceless. Lt Mann has saved many inquisitive soldiers hours of research in figuring out what it takes be an outstanding officer candidate. He does it with a sharp wit, criss-crossing his acting anecdotes with his experiences at Ft. Benning, GA. I know that for me, the book left me feeling more comfortable about OCS and more focused and passionate about the military than ever.I look forward to his next book! Enjoy!!

David, Army SPC

I read Monroe's book trying to trigger memories of my own boot camp days at Fort Polk in the 70's. It's amazing he found the time to write a journal during basic training. Most of the entries are short. One might think, Good Lord, he's a moron, but consider it was written standing up, tired, and scribbled in a hurry. If you've been through basic, you know. Someone who hasn't been through the green machine might think less of this writer. I relived my experience reading his cryptic passages. He captures the up and down emotions, the regret, the pride, and the struggles of boot camp. Although not as eloquent as Jerry Morton's book, it's an equally honest portrayal of boot camp in the Army.

To Benning and Back was very informative and unlike any other material I have read before. It is one man's completely honest look into how it really feels to go into the Army and attend basic training. I actually found myself feeling depressed many times reading it, immersed in the book as if I were actually there experiencing it for myself! It was definitely a wake-up call for me and took away a lot of the "glory" of the Army you think about from movies, etc. However, the funny thing is after reading the book I am still interested in going in as an Army Officer in the Reserves. There are other books out there on many different subjects of the Army of course, but nothing comes close to an actual day to day, hour to hour and sometimes minute by minute journal of the shared personal experiences of this man's journey into the Army.

I'm prior service and I've thought about going to Army OCS. I've read the Army Officer's Guide 49th Edition and other required reading recommended from the OCS website, but I never came across someone's personal experience that was so detailed. This book is everything I've been looking for as an idea of what to expect. Some people may criticize Capt Mann's motives, but I look at it from a different perspective. This is his interpretation of OCS and his own personal account of what he endured. I simply just replace his motives with my own as a read the book. He arrived at Ft. Benning unsure of his decision to join the Army, but he persevered and is a better person today because of his challenging journey. It has prepared me so much for the mental and physical aspect of what OCS can be. My experience in OCS could be different, but I'm sure there will be some similarities. I believe that's the whole point. Ft. Benning is a special place where you enter as a common citizen and you leave as a dedicated soldier. I recommend this book for anyone who is considering the 09S OCS route for commission as an officer in the U. S. Army. I can't wait for volumes II and III!

If you're planning on joining the Army, or if you're just interested in what it's like, this is something you should read. Monroe spills his guts in this book without holding much back. It's different from other books out there because these are his journal entries in first person form. He tells about things in Army basic training that I have not read in other books. I joined the Army in July of 2003, and I ship to Fort Benning for basic training on April 20th, 2004. I'm very glad I was able to find this book. I think you will be too!