Paul Fussell recalls his experience as a young man in the infantry during the Second World War. The war changed Fussell's life irrevocably, and he contrasts his boyhood and youth in Pasadena, California with his time in the Army. While he was recovering from combat wounds, Fussell vowed never to take orders again, and in his recollections of his experiences in academia after the war, he shows how that vow colored the rest of his life. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.