stephen j pitzen

It's 1971 and 18 year old Henry Anderson hasn't a clue of what to do with his life but thinks the easiest way to escape the expectations of everyone who knows him is the free bus trip out of town the Recruiter promises him. Henry is from a family that can't afford storm windows so college isn't a realistic option, and with a lottery number assuring him of being drafted he decides to enlist in the Navy. His last days at home in rural Northern Minnesota are a reminder to him of what he can expect even if he manages to avoid the draft so he sees the military as an adventure, and an easy way of putting off decisions about a future that seems too full of obstacles for him. When Henry leaves Bartonville he is sure that a change in surroundings will be an improvement, and looks forward to meeting people who haven’t already formed opinions of him. In the mill of boot camp Henry discovers that his only redeeming social qualities back in Minnesota, what he perceives as a razor like wit and brilliant insight, aren't appreciated by company commanders or fellow inductees. Even with his own and the Navy's efforts of shaping him into someone else, someone who fits in, he discovers that his personality keeps surfacing and seldom helps him with getting along. Henry leaves the world where most people can either ignore him or are willing to forgive the occasions when his activities come to their attention, and finds himself under constant scrutiny and in a setting where privacy is impossible. This is a story of the losses that occur along the road to fitting in, and the costs incurred during the painful process of reinventing yourself.