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ReviewofArmyWriting3.pptx

Where is, repeat, where is Task Force Thirty Four? The world wonders.

October 25, 1944

Where is Task Force Thirty Four?

With the addition of metadata including routing and classification information, as well as the padding at the head and tail, the entire plaintext message to be encoded and transmitted to Halsey was:

TURKEY TROTS TO WATER GG FROM CINCPAC ACTION COM THIRD FLEET INFO COMINCH CTF SEVENTY-SEVEN X WHERE IS RPT WHERE IS TASK FORCE THIRTY FOUR RR THE WORLD WONDERS

While decrypting and transcribing the message, Halsey's radio officer properly removed the leading phrase, but the trailing phrase looked appropriate and he seems to have thought it was intended and so left it in before passing it on to Halsey, who read it as

Where is, repeat, where is Task Force Thirty Four? The world wonders.

https://usacac.army.mil/cac2/wocc/WritingGuide.asp

Steps in the Writing Process

All writing follows the same basic steps regardless of whether you are writing for the Army or writing a research paper. The following steps will help you develop a well-thought out and well-written product.

STEP 1: RESEARCH. Research is the gathering of ideas and information. This is the step where you answer the "who, when, where, what, and how of the issue". Since we gather information in different ways, you must find the system which best suits you and your task. This means that as you gather ideas, you must keep in mind both your purpose and your audience. Gather as many ideas as you can. Use all possible sources. It is easier to throw out ideas that you don’t need than it is to go back and do more research. Once you have the ideas you need, you will continue to the planning stage.

STEP 2: PLAN. The planning step is where you take all the information you’ve gathered and put it into a logical order. Start by placing your ideas into groups. Then order your groups in the way that best supports your task. The product that results is the outline. From this ordering, develop a controlling idea. A controlling idea is a single declarative sentence which presents both your topic and your position about that topic. An example of a controlling idea is presented below:

This year’s majors topic are better prepared than last year’s position

Once you have developed the controlling idea, add your supporting paragraphs. What you have is a rough plan or outline. Now you're ready to write your first draft.

STEP 3. DEVELOP A DRAFT. The draft is the bridge between your idea and the expression of it. Write your draft quickly and concentrate only on getting your ideas down on paper. Don’t worry about punctuation and spelling. Use your outline to develop your draft. State your controlling idea (the bottom line) early and follow the order you’ve already developed. When you have the ideas down and you’re satisfied with the sequence, you need to put the product into the correct Army writing format. This may result in your rewriting sections of your draft so that it fits the appropriate Army format. After you complete the formatting of your draft, put it aside. It is a good idea to get away from the paper for a while before you start to revise.

STEP 4. REVISE THE DRAFT. Revising is looking at the material through the eyes of your audience. Read the paper as if you have never seen it before. Find where you need to put in transitions; look for places that need more evidence. This will help you decide if you need to add enclosures or add information depending on the type of written product you are developing. You now revise your draft making the changes you’ve noted

STEP 5. PROOF. Now you are ready to proof your draft. At this point concentrate on the format, grammar, mechanics, and usage. You may want to have someone else read it. Sometimes others can find errors you can’t because you are too close to the product. When you finish, write the final version, making the corrections. Your product is now complete.

Writing Simply

Background

Too much writing doesn't do what it's supposed to communicate. Writers often have other agendas which supersede communicating: they want to impress their readers with their vocabulary, or they believe they must follow some "official" style.

The Clear Writing Standard

Good writing transmits a clear message in a single, rapid reading and is generally free of errors in grammar, mechanics, and usage. This is also the Army writing standard.

If you want to meet this standard, write simply. Adopt a conversational style.

Write The Way You Speak

There are three ways to do this--use personal pronouns, use contractions, and use the active voice.

Personal pronouns make writing personal. Look at the two samples below.

I'm responsible.

The undersigned official assumes responsibility.

The first version is conversational and communicates rapidly. Do you know anyone who talks like the second version? Neither do we.

When you're referring to yourself, use "I" or "me." When referring to your group or company, use "we" or "us." Use "you" for the person you're talking to--just like you do in conversation. Also you should use the other personal pronouns such as "my," your," "yours," "they," etc.

Contractions are part of our everyday language. Use them when you write. Don't force them in your writing, let them happen naturally. Negative contractions can be especially useful in softening commands and making it harder for the reader to miss your meaning.

Fix these sentences

Well I have to say that this is a simple answer, but not an easy answer.

With that kind of Intel I can give a head start for my enlisted leaders so that they can see what they need to do and find good strong squads that are capable to do one part of the mission while another does the other part of the mission.

Doing that I will make them teach as we do the mission or before the mission so that the lower enlisted can get a good field of that machinery and they can take on by themselves without guidance, so that my NCOs can do other things that I need them to do.

I expect him to get my Intel for the mission very clear but above all if he can make it simple than me giving it to him, by all means that is what I want him to do because he will pass this thru the squad leaders and team leaders.

Even though my platoon got most of this info from their NCOs, I will like to see that in my own eyes and also so they can be in the same page because my commander will most likely to ask someone from my platoon about what is the mission and if he doesn’t know what to answer, that will look bad on me.

This Mission Command like I said it’s a simple answer but not an easy one. Because one it will make me think of many different scenarios of what if this goes bad.

Fix these sentences

I will not like my mission to go haywire on the first day, also I will try to keep my platoon in good health so I’m already stressing on that just by thinking about it

By knowing what needs to get done, and how it needs to get done, there are less questions arising in the air that questions motives of the leadership, specifically the 2nd Lieutenant, and any decisions he or she makes regarding the mission.

The mission will be difficult and we are unsure whether or not we will be able to accomplish it.

The obstacle course was run by me in record time and was very difficult.

The company area will be cleaned by the soldiers every Saturday until they stop being the most disrespectful people.

Fix these sentences

Avoid useless phrases

It is what it is

To be honest

Don't get me wrong

Just saying

Let me tell you something

Give 110 percent

Words mean stuff

Comprise or compromised?

Accept or except?

Cite/Site/Sight?

To caveat…

Led or lead?

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