Please note: This is a companion version & not the original book. Book Preview:

#1 I had always been interested in the military, and World War II was starting to heat up. I was poring over books about the Civil War at my Great-aunt Myra's in Kennedy, New York. When England and France declared war on Germany in September 1939, I thought we would soon become involved.

#2 I was only fifteen when I enlisted in the Army in 1940, and I was homesick. I sometimes wonder if the Army maneuvers of 1940 were undertaken just to publicize the shortage of weapons and training.

#3 During the training period, I was also learning how to handle my full-blown adolescent rebellion. I could not tolerate what I considered to be unfairness or stupidity on the part of my superiors, and this regularly earned me the opportunity to reconsider the wisdom of my fifteen years.

#4 I was inducted into the Army in 1941, and I quit school the day before. I was 16 years old. The restlessness of youth and the possibility of being recognized as an individual played a part in my enlistment.