Great lines from a great book. THE coming of age story of the twentieth century.
It’s funny, I enjoyed the book (which I have read multiple times) but being a visual person, the movie simply held a greater sway with me!
But yes-it is a typical coming of age story of the Twentieth Century, for many Americans, at least. That is a great way to put it.
I have often said that the GI Bill was one of the greatest things this country ever did. There were legions of men who came home, and were itching to do something, anything with their lives, many of whom had no guarantee that their lives would even last to the end of that war.
That our government instituted this, opening a pathway for many of these Veterans to get an education and advance themselves-well, I don’t care which party prescribed it. I think it was a wonderful thing.
I was lucky enough to squeak in right under the wire to get the “old” GI Bill, and I put it to good use. I chose a state college, whose tuition was more in line with what the GI Bill gave me, and I held down a job all through college, first washing dishes at a Nursing Home then I got an awesome job as a lab assistant at a medical school, and life was good for me.
I lived rent-free at home with my parents while in college, commuted to a State College, and graduated with no debt. I always had enough money to do fun things, go on skiing and camping trips, dates with lovely gals, and so on. Granted, I was short enough on money that getting a flat tire was a monetary crisis, but..I thank the GI Bill for the freedom it gave me.
And I look at my dad. My dad was Willie Keith. Went to Holy Cross under the V-12 program, graduated with a commission at 19, and his first duty station was aboard the USS Whitemarsh (LSD-8) which he met up with in Japan, where it had arrived to serve as a logistical ship for occupation just after the surrender. My dad was one of those “90 Day Wonders” like Ensign Willie Keith. Kind of reminded me of him, too.
He came back in 1947, and went to college at Holy Cross, got his degree, worked as a waiter at a local country club at night, and his father’s grocery store on weekends. He became at age 23 the American Legion Post Commander, then in 1951, was recalled from the Naval Reserve, was assigned to a destroyer, and served in Korea. He applied to and received entry to the regular Navy, and served for thirty years.
There are a lot of men whose “coming of age” story matches that of my dad. God bless them all. How I miss him.