Academic Inspiration and End-of-Course Discussion

Originally, my inspiration for attending college came from a professional inquiry of a museum curator – I wanted to know how one gets to where she was at the time. The museum community, at least for submarines, is an interesting and eclectic collection of folks, some extremely effective at their jobs (Rich Pekelney at the USS Pampanito in San Francisco, Karen Duvalle at he USS Cobia in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, and Nancy Richards/Charles Hinman at the USS Bowfin in Pearl City are amazing treasure troves of information, while Paul Farace at the USS Cod in Cleveland gives one of the most impressive tours I have seen yet), while others – like the ones responsible for the travesties that have become the USS Ling in Hackensack and the USS Clamagore in Charleston – are examples of the dangers of neglect for historical artifacts. I would still love to become a part of this community, and with much of my academic focus being on the American submarine campaign of the Second World War, perhaps an opportunity and network will find me continuing a legacy of interpretation and preservation for the next generations.

Ah, book recommendations and additional studies on one’s own time. We live in a very interesting crossroads of doctrine, history, and the unknown future, therefore understanding and appreciating the threats currently and potentially out there is important. One of the best examples of this “crossroads” is The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War, by Ali Ahmad Jalali and Lester W. Grau – a book I came across in Afghanistan, of all places, and could not believe was not widely known by our officers or NCOs, especially given that the introduction sounds hauntingly familiar.[1] Another book  that have come across in my quest for “obscure topics to avoid the routine” was Philip Longworth’s, The Art of Victory – The Life and Achievements of Field-Marshal Suvorov 1729-1800, which pretty much convinced me that James Mattis is a reincarnated Alexander Suvorov :). Finally, one of my favorite writers not only compelled me to write, but served as a source of inspiration to look for those stories which are too incredible to bypass. Anything by Edward Ellsberg – especially Under the Red Sea Sun and its sequel No Banners, No Bugles – will always be highly recommended due to the examples of tenacity and leadership Ellsberg displayed.

[One of the students made a recommendation for Japanese Destroyer Captain by Roger Pineau and Tameichi Hara in his response.]

I have to say that I am truly impressed at your recommendation. I picked up Hara’s book a few years ago and was completely fascinated at his perspective of battles that are familiar to us, but only from our viewpoint. Another interesting one along those lines is I-boat Captain by Zenji Orita and Joseph Harrington – a book I made it through only halfway and had to stop due to school, but is “in the chamber” for completion when I am done with these two classes.

As I stated in my post, the museum community for naval ships can be odd, but in a good way. While my son is out for the summer, the plan is to go down to Mobile to see the USS Drum and possibly run into Tom Bowser and/or Lesley Waters with the intent of shaking their hands and thanking them for their efforts in restoring the Drum from the horrible condition it was in.

[…] Leadership is one of those things that I personally feel is accentuated by an appreciation and understanding of history. My thesis was basically about how leaders from the past became the legends they are to us, and I will always maintain that no amount of formal education is guaranteed to produce effective leaders – that has to come from within. The education is merely a tool, or an instrument – just like a piano. One can pay millions for the best piano, but the person sitting on the bench is what can make it angelic or atrocious. It makes me smile that I am lucky enough to be married to a pianist who can play a beautiful rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” on a poorly-tuned secondhand piano at a thrift shop – without examples like this, I would have probably not have had the chance to realize the importance of the human element in everything we do.

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[Context: the discussion as with a classmate at the end of the course. Where I focused on submarines, he devoted much of his efforts towards the American Revolution]

I have not much of an idea of what follows after I finish the last class (whenever it will be available). I have considered continuing on, given that I still will have plenty left from the VA to work on my Master’s. The challenge is trying to figure out if I want to continue on with History or branch out into Intelligence Operations. I jokingly say that both degrees are in disciplines that are the least attended to when it comes to planning, but we shall see.

The American Revolution has a very small fan base. This is an unfortunate fact which I blame partly on the overall lack of imagination most people have in trying to comprehend events which took place before the camera, television, and computer-generated explosions. The video game market is a great indicator of the public’s focus – only recently has there been a serious interest in the First World War due to the release of games like Verdun or Battlefield 1, and more than likely, there will be the inevitable and corresponding Hollywood focus as the money looks for new “markets.” However, this is not intended to discourage you. In the contrary, a small fan base typically implies a broad opportunity to increase it through showing relevance to our modern times. In briefly checking the news and Facebook, I just learned of the shooting of Congressman Scalise and the very recent shooting in San Francisco – and from my paltry one class on the American Revolution, I seem to remember public opinion being a very large factor during this time. Oh, the possibilities for relevance! So, to you, I applaud you for your interest in one of the most important conflicts in American history and the wonderful opportunities you will have to speak as one of the few folks who can do so intelligently.

[From the professor]

What tips would you give to Military History students just starting out at APUS?  Any texts?  Teachers?  Classes?  Best places to find sources, etc?”

These are actually very good questions that I wish someone had answered for me much earlier in my academic career.

Texts – I would make sure that folks follow the instructions when it comes to receiving the actual books through the mail and the e-books. There were a couple occasions when I casually assumed that I understood the process and then found out that the books didn’t ship or the process/reader for using the e-book had changed. Learning this at the end of the first week is awkward, and being asked how to access the book during Week 4 by another student is… irritating.

Teachers – Some professors have quirks. One professor wanted the footnoted indented .5” and another professor was so fixated on one specific historical figure that the class should have been named “Genghis Khan 201.” Some professors will astound you by accidentally returning someone else’s atrociously composed paper (grade: 85%) while criticizing your sources and argument. However, one of the best experiences was the gauntlet thrown by the professor politely questioning my choice of topic with the precaution that my point may be difficult to prove, only to have his feedback state that it was “one of the best original subject papers I have read at APUS in 16 years.”

Classes – As my wife would say: “Oy.” I am currently waiting on the availability of one more class to complete my degree. MILH 498 was supposed to be the final class and taken by itself, but due to poor planning on my part, I assumed that classes would always be available. So, I would say to plan out the courses looking at their actual availability. Along with that, I would highly recommend sticking to eras. I became efficient with my sources as there was often overlap in the timeframes covered, so in some cases it was a matter of killing two birds with one stone.

Sources- I detested ProQuest at times due to my irritation at having to find page numbers on the PDF version, but that was a mere matter of preference over convenience. For me, finding sources using archives.org was extremely beneficial, and looking for Russian primary sources was, at times, comical. As for references, I actually wrote about the benefits of keeping a “reference library/document” with frequently used sources to expedite writing. Perhaps I will continue to write the occasional post about my reflections on online academia to help future students who wander across my blog.

Would you choose Military History as a major again if you had a choice?

Absolutely. This major has helped me refine my research and writing skills as well as reinforced my views on the value of history and the dangers of altering or ignoring history. Besides, this major has afforded me plenty of opportunities to talk about submarines. 🙂

The .5 makes me laugh that some professors would be that strict.  I am sure it wasn’t funny at the time.

Perhaps living in Georgia has something to do with my response towards nitpicking like that, but all I could think of when I received that “feedback” was the saccharine “Oh, well bless yer heart” so commonly heard in the South. Not so much “passive/aggressive” but “passive/hostile… but will still serve you sweet tea which may or may not be poisoned.” 🙂

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[1] Ali Ahmad Jalali and Lester W. Grau, The Other Side of the Mountain: Mujahideen Tactics in the Soviet-Afghan War, (Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas: Foreign Military Studies Office, 2000), accessed June 14, 2017, http://www.tribalanalysiscenter.com/TAUDOC/Other%20Side%20of%20Mountain.pdf.