"Don't waste battalion command on this officer," would generally be a phrase army officers would prefer to be absent from their officer efficiency report, but in this case, it was a capture phrase in Chapter 5 - Mules and Doctors, and what follows will shock you.... Much like Georgia Hunter's New York Times Bestseller, "We Were the Lucky Ones", this book includes a series of questions that stimulate thought and reflection and, while a work of fiction, it is based on actual events in the life of a soldier as he transitions from Private to Lieutenant Colonel. Soldier Stories is about learning lessons about leadership, career management, risk-taking, ethics, dignity and respect, and a host of other values. Such learning, and enjoyable yet engaging reading is best done through true-life stories from an experienced leader and master storyteller. Such is the case with Soldier Stories by 27-year Army veteran and 15-year IBM manager, Dave Merritt. You will be hooked from the start as a young soldier makes career and ethical decisions about something as simple as wearing a mustache. There is a story about how to exercise leadership by addressing harassment (and getting arrested) and when it is right, moral, and ethical to stick your neck out. He addresses the training of a new lieutenant by an experienced sergeant and how that training set positive career accomplishments in motion. Merritt points out how to use the chain of command to correct ethical and regulatory improprieties and how to intervene on behalf of a colleague. In once chapter he illustrates through example a potential court-martial experience that should have been avoided and how important human dignity is to everyone. The chapter entitled, "Integrious" provides a humorous story regarding a simple but important word.
After each chapter, there are questions, stimulating discussion points, and an opportunity to reflect on how you might handle a similar situation.
This is teaching at its best, a worthwhile read, and an ideal classroom resource for military and civilian leadership, management and ethics classes wherever they are taught.
Importantly, this is volume one of three from someone who rose from Private to Command of a huge battalion as an Army Lieutenant Colonel. Soldier Stories is captivating, educational, and funny, but it's also an easy and enjoyable read on a series of important topics.
Buy it today. Once you start reading you will not want to put it down.
About the Author: Dave Merritt was born in Tifton, Georgia in 1954 and remained there through his graduation from High School in 1972. He then joined the United States Army and attended basic training at Fort Jackson, SC and Advanced Individual Training at Fort Lee, VA. During his twenty-seven army years, he was assigned to Korea, Fort Benning, Fort Lee, Fort Campbell, Tampa, Germany, Fort Leavenworth, and Fort Sam Houston. He commanded the 244th Quartermaster Battalion at Fort Lee, VA and was selected before his retirement to attend Senior Service College. Instead, he retired and entered the corporate world where he worked for Anteon, PriceWatherhouseCoopoers, and IBM. After 17 years in corporate America, Dave published his first book, Mischievous Stories. Dave has been married for over 41 years to the former Shelia Diann Tomey of Waynesboro, VA. They have two children and five grandchildren.
