Nine Weeks tells the honest story of Army Basic Training. Rich Stowell left his career as a high school teacher and college education professor as an enlistee in the United States Army. At the barracks of F Battery, 1/40 Field Artillery at Fort Sill Oklahoma, he trained for just over two months as a Soldier in the most powerful Army in the world. His story is exceptional. As the oldest man in his training battery (of over 200 soldiers) and the most educated, Stowell had a unique vantage point from which to see and ponder the training regimen. He describes what it was like to live with privates who could have been his students just weeks before, and how young men are taught to fight in the most demanding atmosphere that America has ever produced Soldiers. Drawing on his experience as a professional teacher, he offers a candid assessment about the effectiveness of many components of the Basic Training Program. Informed people ought to know how the American Soldier is made. In nine weeks-the standard timeline for an Army Basic trainee- he illustrates the process with a sophisticated insight and humor that is a novelty in military books. Funny, yet reverent; critical and honest, Stowell brings refreshing wit and wisdom to the story of how young men are gathered from around the country and molded into modern battlefield warriors. It is a trip back in time for Soldiers who have run the gauntlet of Army Basic Training. Civilians will appreciate learning Army basics-their rationale and history-from Army rank to modern battlefield tactics. Americans of all ages and political persuasions, whether or not they have friends or family in the military, will enjoy learning about how United States Soldiers are trained.
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Rich currently teaches Education Technology at the University of San Francisco and works as a math and technology coach for a California education consulting firm. While he was teaching high school math in the San Francisco Bay Area he got an itch to serve his community, and joined the Army National Guard in 2007. Part-time soldier quickly became a full-time job. After his initial training Rich mobilized with the California's 69th Public Affairs Detachment and deployed to the Balkans in support of NATO's Kosovo Force. He has written extensively about his experiences on his military blog, "My Public Affairs." As a civilian, Rich has taught and coached at several Bay Area schools. He attended California State University East Bay (previously Hayward), where he met his wife, Esther. He earned his California teaching credential from CSU East Bay and his M.A. in Teaching Mathematics from Western Governors University. A Salt Lake City, Utah native, Rich has been a Californian for the past decade. He lives with his wife, Esther, and their son, Joseph Aniefiok, in Oakland.
Rich is a man who loves to write. He is the author of three books and the "Rich Like Me" political column at Washington Times Communities. He has taught at all levels, and continues to teach at the university level while enrolled in a doctoral program. Additionally, he works for the Peace & Conflict Studies program at the University of Utah.
Weird, because he is also a Soldier in the California National Guard. Two years ago his unit, the 69th Public Affairs Detachment, deployed to Kosovo, where he served as the Video Section Leader for Multi-National Task Force East, under NATO command. While there he wrote for the magazine, Guardian East. He also finished his first book, Nine Weeks, about his unique experience at Army basic training, and joined the ranks of military bloggers with "My Public Affairs."
Rich holds a masters degree in Mathematics Education from Western Governors University. Before that he roused rabble at CSU East Bay (previously "Hayward"). At CSUEB he founded a student newspaper, The California Statesman. While in school, he met his wife, Esther, at a political forum.
In between teaching assignments and his National Guard commitments, Rich works on his upcoming books. You can read about them by going to the "Books" menu above.
He resides in Salt Lake City with Esther and their two young sons.
Basic training is a once in a lifetime experience. There is nothing to compare it to. So it is hard to explain what it is like to those that have never experienced it before. Therefore it is remarkable, the detail and insight that Rich Stowell has managed to capture. With his meticulous journal and letter writing he was able to recreate all the ups and downs, the emotions, the commraderie, and the abdsurdities that make up basic training. His decision to join the Army later in life also adds a unique and insightful perspective of a sometimes frustrating and baffling program. If you want to experience basic training without going to basic training, I highly recommend you read Nine Weeks.
Nine Weeks...for civilians that term used to mean a period in school. For soldiers, Nine Weeks often times can mean nine weeks of the most grueling time in their lives. This book offers a rare glimpse into those weeks as soldiers in the Army struggle to complete basic training.
As civilians we don't often understand or see the hardships these men and women go through except in movies. Mr. Stowell's book, Nine Weeks, gives us a rarely seen honest glimpse into this time as he shares his experiances. It was an interesting book to read and I found it very detailed, well written and honest.
If you're a civilian who has wondered what goes on in a basic training camp then pick this book up. I think it will give many people a newfound respect for those who serve in the Army.
Richard gives an insight into the traditional young boys right of passage that is 'basic training' with a fresh and witty insight that will make you laugh out loud. His experience, as a teacher, grants him a rare perspective on how the Army operates. If you are a Soldier you will be brought back to the best and worst days of your own experience. And if you are a Civilian you will gain a hard to obtain perspective on what the average recruit goes through. I have read this book twice already and delighted in it each time. Rich Stowell has agreed to begin a sequel, possibly called 9 months, that catalogues the experience of his first deployment, if he sells 1000 copies of his book so please people buy this book. The laughs alone are worth your money
