Reimagining Professional And Personal Reading:  Developing Leaders For Today and Better Citizens for Tomorrow

CPT Mark Chapman 

“The goal of education is the advancement of knowledge and the dissemination of truth. Leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. Our progress as a nation can be no swifter than our progress in education.” – JFK 

As a profession, the Army has long promoted professional development as a core tenet for its leaders.  Yet, according to an article published by Grand Canyon University roughly 32 million adults struggle to read in the United States. Additionally, out of the roughly 482,426 soldiers inthe Active Component of the United States Army, only 17% or 82,012 will make it to a 20 year retirement. 

 With these two statistics in mind, the Army must rethink its approach for professional reading.  It must look beyond the immediacy of developing better leaders for the Army. It must look long term to develop future leaders of communities, workplaces, and better citizens of the republic. It must also examine the literacy and comprehension levels of the force and develop a list of texts that are engaging, educational, and relevant to the force as a whole.  

Most, if not all, general officers and senior NCOs have published a professional reading list. General James C. McConville’s reading list is quite lengthy, with titles like The Art of War by Sun Tzu, Bellavia’s House to House and Leadership in Turbulent Times by Doris Kearns Goodwin. Similarly, the Chairman of the Joint chiefs of Staff’s reading list is quite robust with titles like Higginbotham’s George Washington and the American Military Tradition, The Influence of Sea Power upon History 1660- 1783 by Alfred Thayer Mahan, Corbett’s Principles of Maritime Strategy and the timeless classical military text On War by Carl Von Clausewitz. 

Even the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) has published a suggested reading list for NCOs. Broken down into four sections, the list includes Anton Myrer’s 1291-page Once An Eagle (which is suggested as reading for corporals and sergeants) and Mark Stoler’s George C. Marshall: Soldier Statesman of the American Century. Yet, for all the tactical and historical bravado of the suggested texts across the plethora of lists, most lack the pungent connection to make them relatable to many of the Soldiers in today’s military. 

As stated above roughly 32 million adults out of the total 332 million adults in the United States struggle to read. That is a glaring 10% of the American population.  Another statistic reads that 54% of American adults have below a sixth grade reading level. Given that number, statically, one in ten Soldiers in every formation struggle to read and  over half of the Army cannot read beyond a middle school comprehension level. What good is a suggested reading list when one in ten soldiers would struggle to read let alone comprehend them?   

The Army, must lead the way and rethink the very notion of professional reading and personal development through literature. We must set aside the current array of military texts that have been deemed “professional” by military careerists and develop a list which will develop Soldiers at all levels. Books such as Eats, Shoots and Leaves by Lynne Truss (which is a phenomenal grammar book)  Covey’s The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People  would do more to benefit today’s Soldiers and tomorrow’s leaders than the Principles of Maritime Strategy. The Army must inculcate a culture of education through reading that is relevant to its force. 

Consider this excerpt from Courage the backbone of leadership by Gus Lee:

 “Courage is universal. It is needed by each of us in every conceivable circumstance. Courage, to our benefit, is constant. I learned this as a boy fighting to be accepted as an American on the streets of San Fransico, as a deputy district attorney convicting criminals as a senior executive with offices in three cities as a vice president advocating high core values as an executive coach as a corporate and government consultant in many fields and as a husband and father”. 

Not only is it relatively simple to read, but it takes on a core value of the Army and illustrates how it transcends the military and applies to all aspects of life. These are the types of publications that we should be pushing our Soldiers to read, not the antiquated volumes that are irrelevant to the force.  

 Today’s Army is more diverse than ever before with members of all ranks having varied educational backgrounds coming together from all walks of life. As such, it is imperative that we encourage reading which reflects that.  It is also undeniable that the English language is under a literal siege from abbreviations and misspellings through text messages the convenience of using simpler words. Thus the Army has an obligation to encourage its formation to be better orators and writers for the world around them. And this needs to be done with relevant material that can be comprehended across the entire formation. 

Given the afore-mentioned statistics and the diversity of the Army, whether it be ethnicity, educationally, and even sociologically, it must reexamine the role that personal, or pleasure reading has in the force. Although it is not a replacement for professional reading, It is time for the Army to simply encourage our Soldiers to pick up any text and read and not worry about whether it is fiction, or nonfiction, poetry or a military classic. 

According to Upstream Prevention, which exists, largely online “to support systems-level changes to promote public health, specifically related to the prevention and reduction of youth substance use, improved mental health of the community, and creating an environment conducive to healthy behaviors for all citizens.”  “Reading is a serious stress buster,” it increases our capacity to use proper grammar, comprehension and increases emotional intelligence. Furthermore, it boosts cognitive brain function” 

As the American military continues to fight the epidemic of suicide within its ranks, scientific research has proven that adults who read “for pleasure have higher levels of self-esteem and a greater ability to cope with difficult situations. Reading for pleasure was also associated with better sleeping patterns.” Not only is it good for self-esteem and mental health, it is good for sleep and physical recovery. 

Additionally, The Reading Agency, a British organization, which promotes reading across Great Britian writes that  “Adults with lower levels of literacy are more likely to believe that they have little impact on political processes, and are less likely to participate in volunteer activities.” The author goes on to write that “per capita incomes are higher in countries where more adults reach the highest levels of literacy proficiency and fewer adults are at the lowest levels of literacy.”

Across our formations, leaders are encouraged to “grow their own leaders.” Meaning that it is the leaders at the company and platoon levels which need to be fostering personal and professional growth of its junior leaders. If we truly want our junior leaders to be active in their formations and productive citizens when they finish their time in service, we must foster a culture that encourages reading.  

Adults who read anything whether it is personal or professional, have a better vocabulary, have better insights into the world around them, have better understanding and ultimately make more money than their counterparts who do not read. Therefore, as the Army develops the leaders of today and the citizens of tomorrow it is to their benefit to any and all reading. This is exactly what the American military should be doing, increasing the vocabulary, the awareness, and ultimately the intellectual capacity of Soldiers to provide for the republic whether in or out of uniform.  

However, despite all of those benefits, Soldiers may find it hard to commit to reading books especially lengthy ones, and for the Soldiers who struggle with reading comprehension they might be intimidated by texts in professional development lists that could double for college level books.

Magazines are one catalyst that could bridge both of these very real chasms. There are literally hundreds of magazines which offer publications on a plethora of subjects. From sports, to travel, current events to horses, these publications offer short articles that are easy and quicker to read. Though, through reading magazine articles the understanding of certain topics may be shallower, the breadth of knowledge will be increased and therefore provide a more well-rounded more educated force which is exactly what we should be striving for.  

In addition to personal development through reading magazines and or publications of their own choosing rather than the out-of-touch texts, the Army needs to lead the way in encouraging parents to read to their children. It is no secret that we as Soldiers spend a lot of time away from our families. That time away can be hard for families, especially young children, but by taking the time to read to their children while in a garrison environment, Soldiers can effectively strengthen the bond with their children. For Soldiers who are deployed, reading out loud to their children over the phone or through social media platforms can make a stressful deployment that much easier to bear.   

As stated before, 54% of American’s read at below a sixth grade reading level. So In addition to building a critical bond with their children, Soldiers with lower comprehension levels may find it easier and less intimidating to read children’s books. Thereby serving as a catalyst for building their own capacity, while reinforcing to their children the importance of reading.  

In conclusion, it is time for the Army to rethink its approach on reading. It is not enough to have lofty and often antiquated book lists which are hard to read and outdated. It must lead the way in addressing the challenge of developing lists that are engaging, educational and relevant to the force as a whole but also their position on encouraging personal reading to better develop the leaders of today and the citizens of tomorrow. It must also encourage its Soldiers to embrace personal reading as a hobby to challenge ideas, sustain mental health, and expand their understanding of the world around them.

Bibliography

2021. 3 unexpected Benifits of reading for pleasure as an adult . 05 28. Accessed 08 07, 2023 . https://upstreamprevention.org/3-unexpected-benefits-of-reading-for-pleasure-as-an-adult/.

2023. About: Mission Statement . Accessed 08 07, 2023. https://upstreamprevention.org/about/.

Allison, Schrager. 2017. Only one in five people take up this incredibly generous pension to retire at 40. March 14. Accessed August 30, 2023. https://qz.com/.

n.d. NCO Reading List . Accessed 08 15, 2023. https://www.ausa.org/nco-reading-list.

2023. Reading Facts . Accessed 08 07, 2023. https://readingagency.org.uk/about/impact/002-reading-facts-1/.

2020. Why is reading important? 11 postive impacts of reading . 12 29. Accessed 08 07, 2023. https://www.gcu.edu/blog/teaching-school-administration/importance-and-impact-of-reading.

Zauderer, Steven. 2023. Top 10 U.S. Literacy Rate Statistics . 06 30. Accessed 08 08, 2023. https://www.crossrivertherapy.com/research/literacy-statistics.