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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.
Rich Stowell is the author of Nine Weeks: A Teacher’s Education in Army Basic Training.
According to the book description of Nine Weeks: A Teacher’s
Education in Army Basic Training, it “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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