In 1942, an Atlanta boy dropped out of college in anticipation of being drafted into World War II. His experience was both arduous and fortunate. It altered the course of his life. Late in life, he wrote down as much as he could recall. He described summer jobs before the war, the draft and the induction process, basic training, travel aboard troop ships and trains, and the novelty of seeing other countries for the first time. He did this so his grandchildren might have a firsthand account of one of the major events of the twentieth century. They might also understand that someone who thought he never did anything heroic nevertheless did his part to serve a heroic cause.