Tag Archives: Jerry Morton

"Reluctant Lieutenant: From Basic to OCS in the Sixties" is a good read for veterans of the 1960s Army, since it’s one careful writer’s reconstructed memoir of the major events of Basic, Infantry AIT and Infantry OCS. Remember Zero Week? The movies always seem to leave that out. Remember the fear of having to repeat Basic? Author Jerry Morton doesn’t waste energy finding reasons to hate the Army or the war, and he builds his story with details not generalities. But being a Phd psychologist, he can be pedantic at times. He also seems to run out of gas by the concluding, OCS segment. His Infantry OCS was different from mine, in several respects, but he went through a year earlier, in the first half of 1967, so it might have changed by the time I got there in 1968. Basic and Infantry AIT, which will appeal to the greatest number of Army veterans, get the most careful attention. Morton did them in the fall of 1966 at Fort Dix, NJ, and Ft. McClellan, AL. Even if you didn’t (I did Basic and Cavalry Scout AIT at Fort Knox, KY) his details will spark plenty of memories. He uses pseudonyms and reconstructed (at best) dialogue to keep things moving, and often finds his truths in humor: "We had no idea how far we were going or where we were going. We were just going."