Review of Army Life

[Elizabeth-Tush4Christ]

[Following is a volunteer review of "Army Life" by Darryl Jefferson.]

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5 out of 5 stars

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Army Life written by Darryl Jefferson

"The book Army Life, written by Darryl Jefferson, is about the author's experience in the Army. As a kid, he had a dream to serve in the US Army. The journey was not smooth, and the author later realized the Army wasn’t all he had imagined. He juggled school work with training and the recruitment process while traveling to visit family and his parents, who were separated. He was suspended from school at some point due to a post he made, which was triggered by his non-existent relationship with girls. He later dropped out of school, girls, and relationships to focus on getting into the Army. After all the effort and rollercoaster, he tried to get in and was disqualified due to a medical condition. At the time, it was discovered that the author has Asperger’s syndrome. Will this end his dream to serve in the Army? Well, it didn’t. Read how he navigated Basic Life Training, Airborne School, AIT, and MOS (Military Occupation Specialty).

It’s no news that he isn’t social, and this had an impact on his relationships with friends and colleagues. He was a slow learner and had issues paying attention to details, which made him lag in most training. Coupled with his anxiety, he had to change MOS and take on another since it put so much pressure on him to deliver. Despite the challenges, he still looked forward to fighting in Afghanistan. This might be heroic, or he just wanted a place to die as a hero.

There are abbreviations, slang, names, nicknames, and inside jokes used in the military. This helps readers get in on the private matters in the Army, allowing readers to imagine the world they’ve probably seen only from afar. I find some of those words intriguing, e.g., DUSTWUN (duty status whereabouts unknown).

Finally, the author got his first deployment to Germany as a Fister. The duties at the first post weren’t what he had expected. Instead of doing the job of a fister, his superior by the name Watson, who was power-tripped, got him to sweep the hallways the first week. The only time he did anything FIST-related was when Watson would ask for fire support questions and smoke them for wrong answers. The author got lots of advice, which he usually took with a pinch of salt. He got a lot of help from Sergeant Herdal, who happens to be one of those bosses who understands him and helps him succeed in the military as his NCO. The military had a lot of training to bring the desired discipline among soldiers, some were war-related, and others were not. An example of this is SHARP (Sexual Harassment/Assault Response and Prevention). This book reveals that the Army isn’t just about war, it touches all aspects of human life and aims to shape individuals into a better version of themselves at war and when they eventually go home. One might argue that the experience of war leaves different personalities with different tales.

The author was diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder. This will prove to be the beginning of the end of the author's Army life, or so it seems at the time. I like the storyline, and the author took the time to develop all the characters and link them up to point out their relevance in the story. At the end of the story, each character was accounted for. My favorite character was Sergeant Herdal, also known as Dan. He taught a lot and helped the author build some confidence. Throughout the story, a larger part of his success in the Army could be attributed to his training and guidance. I like that the author brought the story to an end by telling us how he lived and fared as a civilian.

This book contains profanity, and readers should be aware. I have no dislike for this book, and considering the positives that I have listed, I would rate it 5 out of 5 stars. While reading this book, I encountered no errors, which proves that it was perfectly edited. I would recommend this book to mature adults who love to read about war, crimes, or life in the military.

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Army Life
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[Gerry Steen]

Thank you for reviewing this book. It shows that Darryl Jefferson gave his best to the army while struggling with issues caused by his being on the autism spectrum. No one really knows much about how the army functions. It would be intimidating for any new recruit in the army. I am interested in knowing how the army works and how Jefferson coped with the demands of the army. It will be heartwarming to read about the support Sergeant Herbal gave to Jefferson.