Military School? Me?
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I walked with my Dad back to the car. When we stopped and he looked at me, I could tell he was choked up, which made me feel the same way. We hugged and said good-bye. As he drove out of the school, I had a bit of a sinking feeling with the realization that this was now the new life for me. As I climbed up the stairs to return to my room, a big cadet blocked my path and said, “Back down, junior, you have to get your uniforms.” For whatever reason, I immediately remembered that part of the instructions the academic director gave us, which included that parents would not be allowed to have any contact with their kids, by phone, mail, or visits for the first six weeks. I wasn’t rattled, but I clearly knew that I was definitely on my own, with no backing out now
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About the Book
It is the 1960s, a sixth grader begins a series of choices that will dictate the course of his life forever. As his grades drop and he becomes a disciplinary challenge, Steve’s parents eventually make the agonizing decision to send him away to a military academy when he is just fifteen.
As Steve attempts to adjust to a new life as a first-year cadet at a high school one hundred miles from his home, he soon realizes that there will be consequences for all his actions, that respect is earned, and that honor is expected. Mentored by his roommate, Steve soon learns how to make his jib line correct, pack his knapsack, distinguish bugle calls, and shoulder a rifle. But as his first year ends, he wrestles with the unknown. Will he return to his new family and identity or attempt to readapt to the life that brought him here in the first place?
In this story based on true events, a teenager sets out on a journey of self-discovery after his parents enroll him in a military academy.
About the Author
Stephen J. Wilmer grew up in McLean, Virginia. Upon graduating from Massanutten Military Academy, he attended High Point University in North Carolina, where he graduated with a bachelor of arts degree in Spanish. He taught high school at Antilles Military Academy in Puerto Rico. www.stephenjwilmer.com