Recent Review.

Honored to have received this recent review. Truly reminds me of why I wrote the book and more importantly, why I need to talk about it. The proceeds go to awards in honor of those I lost or were wounded in our unit. Thank you to all those who have supported this mission and the book.

This is a review of the book Chop that Sh*t Up!: Leadership and Life Lessons Learned While in the Military by CSM Daniel L Pinion.

In this self-biography, you follow Daniel from his entry into the U.S. Army until his retirement. Well, it is not your everyday self-biography; it is a stack of good life and leadership lessons drawn from Daniel’s life. Every chapter is a selected event from his life as a soldier, an event that had an impact on how he sees life or leadership. I found both humorous and tragic events described. At the beginning of the book, you will find a more light-minded young man who is learning leadership from his mistakes. As the book draws closer to its conclusion, I see sorrow and stories about finding the strength to rebuild one’s life. There are also the stories of Daniel’s fellow soldiers and their heroic deeds.

I have read some books about soldiers before. However, this must be the most accessible one so far. It is short and well-written. The book is unfiltered, with both successes and failures. After reading one chapter, you want to continue with the next one. Every chapter is concluded with the lesson learned.

Many have found their way to the book About Face: The Odyssey of an American Warrior by David H. Hackworth. I have read it once and I liked it a lot. However, it is a long and detailed book with over 900 pages. Worth reading, but not for the impatient reader. You can read Daniel’s book five times in the same amount of time it takes to read About Face. You should read both, in my opinion.

If you are a soldier, this is a book you should read, especially if you are in the army. As a civilian, you will learn about the realities of being a soldier. In both cases, you will learn many good lessons about leadership and life.

Highly recommended read.