My first thought was, I am not a celebrity like a movie star, a popular singer, a famous athlete, a war hero, etc. So who would be interested in listening to a book about my life? So if nobody is interested in listening to this book, then that's okay. At least my children and grandchildren will know how their daddy and grandpa grew up and lived his life. So here is my first attempt at writing prose.

I am not a very good writer, even though I have written several medical textbooks and scientific articles. I have had several jobs in my lifetime - some I hated, some I liked, and well, some I loved. I entered the workforce, as did five of my older brothers, when I was eight years old. Daddy had never heard of the FISA (Fair Labor Standards Act), a law that prohibited children from working. If anybody came to our house to enforce that law, Daddy would have shot the son-of-a-b---h on the spot without hesitation. My daddy was mean as hell, and he was also the toughest human being I have ever known in my entire life. He very seldom ever showed an ounce of affection toward Mama or any of us children. I saw him hug my brother Ben one time when he came home from the Navy, after we heard he had been killed when a Japanese kamikaze airplane hit his ship in World War II.