Soldier Boy: At Play in the ASA [Paperback]

Timothy James Bazzett (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 21, 2008

In 1962 when Tim Bazzett graduated from high school he'd had enough of academia and classroom drudgery, so he joined the army - and received an education he'd never imagined. Perhaps one of the most unlikely and inept citizen-soldiers since Gomer Pyle, Tim somehow survives the terrors and tribulations of basic training at "Fort Lost-in-the-Woods, Misery," and after further training in the mysteries of Morse code in Massachusetts and Maryland, the small-town innocent is launched overseas and into the larger world. In northern Turkey he finds himself a link in the outermost defenses of America during a Cold War he only imperfectly understands. There he sees poverty and hatred in the faces of children and is forced to confront his own faults and inner demons. Later on in Germany, no longer quite so innocent, he chases girls and dreams of being a rock star. But at the heart of Bazzett's narrative are the characters - the friends he makes along the way. For this is ultimately a book about friendship - and about growing up. In his first volume of memoirs, Bazzett made his Michigan hometown in the fifties come alive for all his readers. In Soldier Boy, his military experiences are made just as real. Get ready to laugh, and maybe cry a little too, as the irrepressible Reed City Boy rides again.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A gem of a military memoir ... with detail and humor that transforms it into a universal coming of age story." -- Johnny Rico, author of Blood Makes the Grass Grow Greener: A Year in the Desert with Team America

"A nice guy. Lord knows where this writing thing came from, but Bazzett's got it, in spades ... A remarkable achievement." -- James Crumley, author of One to Count Cadence

"I greatly enjoyed Soldier Boy. Bazzett has a rare talent: the ability to keep the reader moving forward!" -- Paul Fusselll, author of The Great War and Modern Memory, winner of both the National Book Award and the National Book Critics Circle Award

"I read Soldier Boy with great enjoyment ... A very likeable and convincing soldier ... A gift for detail. Well done." -- Samuel Hynes, Professor Emeritus of Literature at Princeton University and author of Flights of Passage: Recollections of a World War II Aviator

"I really enjoyed reading Soldier Boy. It brought back memories, since all of the services have something in common." -- Darryl Ponicsan, author of The Last Detail and Cinderella Liberty

Product Details

• Paperback: 340 pages
• Publisher: Rathole Books; 1st edition (March 21, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0977111911
• ISBN-13: 978-0977111916
• Product Dimensions: 8 x 5 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #595,995 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Born in 1944, Tim Bazzett grew up in west Michigan and spent three years in the army after high school, completing tours in Turkey and Germany. He then attended Ferris State and Central Michigan Universities where he earned a teaching degree and an MA in English. After teaching for five years at Monroe County Community College in southeast Michigan, in 1976 Bazzett reenlisted in the army, staying five years that time, serving again in Germany and earning a second Master's degree from Eastern Michigan University. Following his discharge he worked for the next 21 years as a Russian linguist and intelligence analyst at the National Security Agency in Maryland. He retired from federal service at the end of 2001 and returned to his home town in Michigan where he began to write. Since 2004, Bazzett has published three memoirs and a biography. Another memoir will be published in 2010.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars youth and maturity, October 11, 2008

By 

David W. Straight (knoxville, tennessee United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Soldier Boy: At Play in the ASA (Paperback)

After reading the first couple of chapters of Bazzett's autobiography, I ordered the prequel (Reed City Boy) and the sequel (Pinhead) from Amazon. This is a well-written work about Bazzett's life in the US Army--in the Army Security Agency. It's about his time in boot camp, in specialty training, and on bases in Turkey and Germany. The one thing he does not talk about is his duties and work for the ASA (like the CIA, NSA, NRO, etc, you sign non-disclosure agreements and are likely to be given dire warnings about revealing anything). That would have been interesting, to be sure, but in the book you find that not having the details therein doesn't bother you all that much. What is more important are the friendships, the non-technical life, and the Bazzett's maturation.

There are plenty of books about combat soldiers in Vietnam, Iraq, WW II, such as Del Vecchio's powerful novel The 13th Valley. There's the classic See Here, Private Hargrove, largely about US Army basic training in WW II. Experiencing war as a combat soldier certainly lends itself to more drama. But the majority of soldiers in the past 50 years have never had a shot fired at them by an enemy--yet they serve now and have served their country. Marion Hargrove was trained as a cook, Tim Bazzett was trained in Morse code and other unnamed skills. So for the "average" person in the Army, Soldier Boy is probably more representative of Army life than, say, Audie Murphy's To Hell and Back.

Bazzett is a wonderful storyteller, and he never hesitates to poke fun at himself and his mistakes (which many people writing autobiographies have a hard time doing). Bazzett starts off very unsure of himself, and quite immature. You get the feeling that he might not have been ideal combat material. But he had skills and abilities that the Army found useful. Without Bazzett's saying so directly, you seem him grow--becoming less unsure of himself, fitting comfortably into barracks life (moreso than many other trainees), and maturing. This is not to say that boyish pranks in the barracks are put aside, but rather that Bazzett comes to understand himself and who he is. He doesn't yet know where he wants to go--that will probably be written about in Pinhead. There's a wonderful introduction by his 88-year-old mother, who is a bit dismayed by some of the language in the book. So you get a fine, well-written tale of army life here--enjoyable, an excelent read.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best ASA book I've ever read!, February 2, 2010

By 

R. Lynn (Ashland, Va.) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Soldier Boy: At Play in the ASA (Paperback)

This book brought back so many memories I found it very difficult to put it down. Like Tim, I served in the Army Security Agency back in the 1960s. He gave a very vivid and real view of army life, especially basic training. He has a great writing style and an excellent memory after all these years. I would highly recommend this book for anyone who has ever served in the army (or any service for that matter).

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soldier Boy, At Play in the ASA, September 4, 2009

By 

J. Richard Dawson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Soldier Boy: At Play in the ASA (Paperback)

I've just finished reading Soldier Boy. I was in the ASA about the time Tim was and his desdcription of Basic Training, Fort Devens and his assignments overseas brought back many memories both good and bad. His description of the places he went especially in the DC area was right on. I spent many nights in those beer joints. Anyone who was in the ASA would really appreciate what Tim has written. It is also a good read for anyone who is interested in what it was like during the Cold War. We were there for all of you even if we didn't quite understand why we were doing what we did.
Rick Dawson