I loved this book. Nothing heavy - just a nice, light, funny story about an average guy trying to fit into the U.S. Army. I agree with the other reviewer - it really takes you back to a better time.

I first read this book when I was a teenager. Twenty plus years later, the story is still ethched solidly in my mind. Private Marion Thomas Lawton Hargrove, III is a most unlikely citizen soldier. A newspaper writer in civilian life, he is classified as a cook in the United States Army, just prior to the hostilities of WWII. The story is set in Fort Bragg, NC. The author paints the most wonderful pictures in your mind. The characters, like PFC Thomas Mulvehill come alive. Hargrove peeling potatoes. Hargrove on guard duty. Hargrove cooking his first egg...and it gets used for a tire patch. All this hearkens back to a simpler, bigger world. It is a wonderfully nostalgic view of what part of America used to be like. The book is a humorous chronology of Hargrove's service in the U.S. Army. The author steps back and takes a clear look at some of the absurdity foisted upon those who serve(d) in our armed forces. If you want to enjoy yourself thoroughly, find a copy of this wonderful book and take a nice leisurely stroll back to 1939-41. And when you're done, share it with a friend, because a smile is one of the nicest things you can pass along.