A Boy in a Hurry for Manhood to Arrive

In search of my own brand of manhood, I quit school at age 17 and joined the Army. Being stationed in Okinawa working in a clerk's office, where I probably could have spent the rest of my tour but feeling I wanted to do more, I decided at age 18 to sign up for a tour in Vietnam. I have never regretted it. The things I saw and the valuable lessons I learned helped me accomplish what I set out to do, going from a fresh-faced boy to a grown man. Once my tour in Vietnam was over my civilian life just didn't seem to totally fulfill my expectations, so I joined the Army Reserves and eventually became a Drill Instructor, another decision I have never regretted. The story starts with my restlessness in high school, looking for new and exciting venues than I was experiencing in Indiana. It's the story of my journey from being a young boy in the Midwest to becoming a man in the US Army. I truly believe the Army did help me 'be all I could be.' The book not only looks at my accomplishments but also two failed marriages and how I always felt more anchored in reality while in the military than in the civilian world. While some Vietnam veterans may have come back bitter and disillusioned, I returned home to perhaps a nation that was not so grateful for my service, but I will remain eternally grateful for the experiences I had and would not, to this day, trade even one of them for anything else.