Set during the Vietnam War era, this short novel takes place at the Officer Candidate School in Quantico, Virginia. The story follows the progress of Private Jack Kendrick as he learns about the chain of military authority. He and his fellow soldiers must learn to stand at attention, before their superiors, and show respect for hierarchy. Also it shows how our hero and his companions dare to stand at attention before their superiors and respectfully protest the edicts of authority. The chain of authority is challenged when Kendrick’s black friend Corporal William Buck is on leave in Memphis, visiting his mother. Martin Luther King, Jr. is shot dead and the city erupts in a race riot. Corporal Buck chooses to remain AWOL rather than leave his mother in the urban war zone. When he eventually returns to Quantico he is willing to face discipline, but unwilling to tolerate the hateful taunts of a racist sergeant. This is a novel charged with emotion and moral quandary. How will Jack Kendrick, who has a mind of his own, survive the authoritarian code of the military career he has chosen?
