When Don Herbert heard from a buddy that an airliner crashed into the World Trade Center Sept. 11, 2001, he thought it was an accident. When he got home, he told his wife to turn on Fox News.
‘When I saw the other plane bank, I said ‘that is not an accident,?? said Herbert, Independence Township firefighter.
‘I didn’t need to hear any more, didn’t need to know anything else, grabbed my keys, and my wife asks ‘where are you going?? I said ‘I think we’re at war.? She answered, ‘I think we just signed for a house on Friday and I think I’m your wife. You want to talk about this??”
After talking about it, she understood he wanted to enlist in the U.S. Army, but he knew it was not the right time because of financial commitments. The two had been married less than a year.
‘It wasn’t the right time for us, and I think it would have ended up destroying my family,? he said.
‘After waiting for things to settle down a little bit, it worked out good.?
Herbert joined the National Guard, going through Army Basic Training in 2006. He plans to go to the Army Physician Assistant School in the next couple years.
While going through basic, a recruiter asked him to write notes of things that could be improved or prepare new recruits.
‘So, I started making notes and the notes got longer, longer, and longer,? he said.
‘Then eventually I thought, ‘this really wouldn’t be a bad idea to write a little book.? I never envisioned that it would be published, but just a little book I could give to my recruiters and say ‘hey, these are all the problems I saw at basic and I will put together a nice little book and you can let your soldiers read it.’?
When Herbert sat down and started compiling his notes, he realized his ‘little book,? was not going to be as little as he thought. That was when he began to search on-line for a book similar to the one he was writing.
‘Why re-create the wheel if there is already a book out there? Then I realized that there wasn’t. That was when the idea turned in me that I could make this a little bit bigger than what I already had it.?
Many published books cover all branches of the military, but it is like going to a car dealership, where all literature is geared to selling their product, he said.
‘I didn’t want to do that, I didn’t want to sell anybody anything. I just wanted to give them an idea of what it’s like to go through boot camp and what to do before you go so you don’t get smoked when you get there,? he said.
His new book, “63 Days and a Wake-Up: Your Survival Guide to United States Army Basic Combat Training,” offers readers a chance to understand what Army basic training is all about, he said.
He received positive feedback from recruiters, who say the book helped them sign up new soldiers. Others read the book and changed their minds about joining the Army.
‘It’s done exactly what I wanted it to do, which is to allow a young individual to get a really good idea of what they are getting themselves into before they show up. Then they can make the decision whether they want to sign that enlistment contract,? said Herbert.
A lot of soldiers join the military for the wrong reasons, because of a war movie, or an ‘inspiring commercial? that gave the wrong perception, he said.
Recruitment commercials are ‘cool,? especially the latest one which shows paratroopers jumping out of C-130 military planes and helicopters.
‘The commercials are full of truth, but they kind of lack letting you know that’s a two-year process of people yelling and screaming at you, and a few running miles with 40 pounds on your back,? he said.
The book not only deals with problems Herbert witnessed, but also the experience of going through basic training, such as what it’s like to live in barracks with other soldiers, sleeping quarters, lockers, pulling fire-guard duty at night, a typical day, going to the range, sleeping in a hooch, and eating at the chow hall.
It also answers questions such as how often can you write letters home, receive letters, call home, do and access to e-mail and the internet?
Herbert said he is getting a lot of positive feedback from parents and veterans who served during Desert Storm or Vietnam. Some are surprised how much boot camp has or hasn’t changed, but glad to see some things are different.
‘It gives me some affirment, what I did is being well received by people who’ve already served and they are passing that knowledge on to people who want to,? said Herbert.
The nine-week boot camp is set to expand to 10 weeks over the next couple years, he said.
‘They’re just adding another week so if soldiers are having certain troubles in certain areas, they can assist those soldiers in mastering those things, like shooting a weapon, or a little more time to get physical fitness training in,? he said.
About 30 pages of the book deals with the army’s physical fitness program and test. Physical fitness is mostly calisthenics such as mountain climbers, jumping jacks, butterflies, pushups, and alligators, he said.
Herbert grew up in East Detroit, but moved to South Carolina at age 20.
‘I tell people I was born in Michigan, but grew up in South Carolina, that’s where I became a man, more or less,? he said.
An average student in school, he knew he did not want to go to college right away because he wasn’t sure what he wanted for a career.
A buddy became an EMT, Emergency Medical Technician, and told Herbert about it. He decided he would check it out.
‘One of my instructors was a firefighter for Shelby Township, and me and him got to talking and he said, ‘man you should go to the fire academy, you would be perfect for this job,? so I did,? said Herbert.
‘They weren’t hiring very many guys in the late 80’s here in Michigan for fire departments, so I applied in South Carolina. I didn’t know nobody, just applied and was accepted.?
While in South Carolina, Herbert ran into his future wife, Alissa, in a hotel.
‘She was looking over her shoulder talking to her mom, and I was looking over mine talking to a buddy, we came around a corner and collided,? he said. ‘We pen-palled for awhile, but then she went off to college.?
Herbert moved back to Michigan in 1999, where joined the Independence Township Fire Department. That fall, he started talking with Alissa again.
‘I went down to (South Carolina) to meet up with her, catch up, and the rest is history,? he said.
They live in Davison with their three kids Olivia, 4, Hannah, 9, and Chris, 17.
For more information or to purchase the book, visit www.basictrainingbook.com