Customer Reviews

Soldier Boy: At Play in the ASA

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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.

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).

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

This is a memoir of coming of age in the Army Security Agency (ASA) in the mid-1960s, told in the unvarnished vernacular of almost every ditty-bopper it was ever my pleasure to meet. (i.e. it's PG-13) The action of the book plays against the backdrop of Fort Lost in the Woods, Misery; Fort Devens, MA; TUSLOG Det 4, Sinop, Turkey; and Field Station Rothwesten, Germany. While I was never assigned to any of those units, the things that defined the sense of place in the book were nevertheless very familiar. The cold and drafty, World War II clap-board barracks with open bays; pneumatic injection guns slicing their way through the arm of unsuspecting inductees who wouldn't hold still; working "pots and pans" on KP; eating at the "Roach Coach;" not getting live ammo on guard duty; shift work; mid flicks; FTA; flaming carbon paper from six-ply; cars with more passengers than you can get sardines in a can; tooth powder, the ONLY purpose of which was--not to keep your teeth clean: you used toothpaste for that like everybody else--but to be displayed at inspections, because that was what it called for in the regs, and many, many more familiar commonplaces of life in ASA at that time. Reading the book was like taking a trip home to see the places where I grew up.

If any of the things that I mentioned above stir up old memories, then you'll want to read Bazzett's memoir. You can never go home again, but you can bask in the memory of what it was like. I only gave it four stars because it is not a novel. It would have made a good one.

For those of us that were at Fort Lost in the Woods, Mo, Fort Devens, Turkey and Rothwesten, Germany or any part of that you will recognize yourself in this book. This is a growing of age personal account of that time and places that I shared. This is a book for those of us that served, laughed, drank, learned and matured in the agency.

I found out about this book from a friend who was in the ASA about the same time as me. The book was a sheer delight to read and I must say it brought many memories from the time that I served in Germany. It is a must read, especially if you have served in the military. Even if you didn't serve, you will still enjoy all the trials and tribulations that Tim goes through during his time in the service.
Once you read this book, you will look forward to reading the other books that Tim has written.

Tim Bazzett's Soldier Boy tells the story of the author's two years in the United States military, stationed first in Turkey and later in Germany. As a testament to the power of this book, I can say that despite my having read this book over several months (!), it remains fresh and compelling. This is the story not of the workings of the military, not of maneuvers or drills or spit and polish or rank and file, but rather of a group of young men learning life. Bazzett concentrates on camaraderie and the things young men do and think. And what do young men do and think? They drink a lot, they cuss a lot, and they think a lot about sex. And yes, they even manage to translate their thinking about sex into action. We are talking about young men in the early 1960s when innocence had not yet vanished. Bazzett returns home from his stint in the military in late summer 1965, just at a time when innocence was about to topple, but for this young Catholic boy, two years in the army initiated him into the rituals of robust drinking and the delights of the flesh, but they had not diminished in any serious way the lessons learned from his formative training in matters of the spirit. In short, this book is humane. The author speaks from the heart and his affection for his army buddies is genuine. Friendships fashioned over forty years ago remain fresh and strong. He speaks of the films they saw, the music they listened to, the music they made, the places they visited, the girls they lusted after, the hijinks they perpetrated, and the headaches they endured. This is the story of young men. It is both a memoir and a study of male companionship. What we experience in this book is the ride from boyhood to manhood, and it is a wild ride too. Catch the fun. Part of the fun is listening to Bazzett's voice as it meanders, digresses, waxes nostalgic, and generally has fun recalling those faraway days just before American became inextricably embroiled in Vietnam. For me, this is the heart of the book: its author. We get to know the person writing this memoir. He allows us into his life. His is an intimate picture. Perhaps nothing illustrates the intimacy of the book more than its Introduction by Daisy C. Bazzett, the author's mother. Daisy Bazzett speaks directly to the two most difficult subjects for a mother to speak about: sex and profanity. Her understanding and delicacy tell us much about the author's own understanding and delicacy. Honesty is the watchword here. The title, Soldier Boy: At Play in the ASA, carries the books concerns. In 1962, the Shirelles released the song, "Soldier Boy," and the popular music of the day is deeply a part of the people chronicled in this book. The mention of both "boys" and "play" reminds us that the people Bazzett writes about, including himself, were boys when they entered the military. Their lives did involve work, and serious work, but mostly what we read about is play, the sort of play that involves experiment and education in life. This is a book written by someone who not only "was there," but who also knows how to write, how to construct a narrative that has its rising action, its moments of reflection, and its sense of time and place. Quite simply, this is a terrific book.

Tim Bazzett's, "Soldier Boy; at play in the ASA", is a delightful story of growing up in the Army, as many of us did in the 1960s. My home being St Louis I, too, spent time at Fort Lost-in-the-Woods. Although my time there preceded Bazzett's by several years, his recollections are on target suggesting that training through repetition was still in vogue. His account of the drafty barracks, Fire Guard, the ever-present coal dust, the universally despised red linoleum strip, KP and fear of being recycled to relive the nightmare that was Basic Combat Training remains fresh in my memory as well. Unlike Bazzett, who entered the Army Security Agency (ASA) after Basic Training, I remained at Fort Leonard Wood and became a Combat Engineer. After dropping a piece of steel on my foot while building a Bailey Bridge, I decided I should find another line of work. I volunteered for Airborne and Special Forces training and spent the next three years in the Infantry. It was only after someone discovered that I had maxed an aptitude test that I was selected for the ASA - you remember the test, right? It's where they show you pictures of a hammer, screwdriver, pliers and a light bulb and ask, "Which of these items does not belong in this picture?" Also unlike Bazzett, I failed the rigorous and highly scientific hearing test wherein a Corporal conducting the test yells, "Get the F*** out of here!" I'm certain I was still focused on that aptitude test and wondering at whom that Corporal (probably the same one) was yelling.

Having failed the hearing test I was not eligible for Morse Intercept Operator, or Ditty-Bopper, training - Bazzett's specialty. I became a Cryptanalyst. It was my choice primarily because it was a 26-week school and I could move my family at Government expense. As Bazzett points out through his narrative of surviving Basic Training and other early assignments, US Army Enlisted men learn Escape, Evasion, Avoidance and other useful lessons not taught in the classroom as suggested in the excerpt from the 1863 Officer's Guide that states, "Enlisted men are stupid, but extremely cunning and sly, and bear considerable watching."

Watching Bazzett `At Play' is particularly refreshing as he presents his recollections in a casual, often disarming, yet conversational style that amuses, instructs, and enlightens those of us who were fortunate enough to not only serve in the Army in various Intelligence disciplines, but to spend time in foreign countries. Like Bazzett, we experienced the oddities and enchantments of different places, different cultures, but shared the experience of being a Cold War Soldier, not always `At Play.'

The Morse intercept Operator was frequently referred to as a Hog, a reference to the H in his Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) 05H. The Hog was the butt of many ASA Jokes and had the skill been common in 1863 would have provided the basis for the quotation from the Officer Guide of that era. Unfortunately, one of the things that Bazzett never learned, as his commentary about the eternal "soldier versus technician" dilemma demonstrates, is that he was as much a soldier as technician despite his self-proclaimed shortcomings as a marksman or a spit-shined re-enlistment poster. Unlike many of the other ASA disciplines where technicians worked alone, the Hog was part of a team, had leadership in the form of a Trick Chief, and each covered the others assigned tasks without hesitation. Teamwork, leadership, loyalty and accomplishing the mission is what Army training stresses most.

Being a career soldier, Bazzett would have called me a Lifer. Being an ASA soldier, I would have tolerated it because I understood the important work Bazzett did when he was not `At Play'. Thanks, Tim for a delightful trip back in time. Thank you too for your vital service to America.

If you grew up in a small town and joined the military right out of high school like the author and I both did you will love this book. I happened to join the ASA (Army Security Agency) and go to Fort Devens and then Sinop, Turkey just like the author as well. It brought back lots of things that happened to me as well as many of my thoughts when I was going through this growing up period. It has all the stuff of late teens out on their own in the Army: drinking, sex, gambling, screwing up, missing home on Christmas...

I was also In the Army Security Agency during the Cold War, 1958-1960. This book gives a very accurate and amusing description of Army life during this period. The story is well written and the authors tales of his basic training and subsequent ASA training at Ft Devens, MA was very accurate . The author served in the ASA in Turkey and also Kassel, Germany. I also trained at Ft. Devens and later was assigned to another ASA base in Germany. i agree with the jacket cover Quote, "If you served, you will live it all over again. If you didn't, this is what it was like" It is a great read and I recommend it to anyone who is interested in the soldiers who served and their life in the US military during the Cold War.