LINCOLNSHIRE, Ill. - November 25, 2020 - (Newswire.com)
Steve McCoy, a retired man who holds a lengthy career with the Bell System; has completed his most recent book “Rite of Passage”: a gripping and potent journal across one’s memorable USN boot camp experience that drastically changed the course of this brave man’s life.
Steve writes, “The narrative is one of transforming from a naive teen HS graduate to a member of the US Navy, the American military. This all occurred during a transformative time in generational attitudes and a transformative time in history. The timeline is the summer of 1967, the summer when everyone wore flowers in their hair and burned their draft cards.
In the sixties, it was common practice for working-class teens to either pursue a job somewhere with ‘benefits’ or join the military. College was for suburban kids. I, being a Chicago kid, figured that I was a fairly smart guy and could learn a technical skill in the military, so I set my sights on that path after graduation.
Because the Vietnam War was being fought and was a ‘hot’ war at that, the branch of the military that sounded safest to me was the navy. So I found myself at a recruiter’s office three months before graduation so that I could go from ‘cap and gown’ to bell-bottomed pants in no time at all.
I would have to describe my boot camp experience as fun. As I said, I was naive and had absolutely no expectations, went with the flow, and had fun observing the process of turning a bunch of unruly teenagers (for the most part) into a disciplined group of sailors. I was also aware of the Vietnam War, a war that I may very well be a part of. It was a war that I didn’t have a very strong opinion of at the time but one that I felt was evolving.
A lot of people relate 1969 to the seminal year with the Vietnam war, like that was the year the younger generation started to notice the war. In my mind, the year 1969 is when the generational attitudes toward the war boiled over. We were burning draft cards in 1967; we were protesting; my generation was becoming counter-culture hippies. The Jefferson Airplane was introducing my generation to recreational drugs; Scott McKenzie was telling us to wear flowers in our hair. The year 1967 was 1969 lite.”
Published by Fulton Books, Steve McCoy’s book holds a biographical account of a defining stage in his life as cultural changes, pressing political issues, and a divisive war is occurring during the country’s turbulent years.
Here we witness an innocent young man’s brave trek into the American military.
Readers who wish to experience this riveting work can purchase “Rite of Passage” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble.
Please direct all media inquiries to Gregory Reeves via email at gregory@fultonbooks.com or via telephone at 877-210-0816.
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Original Source: Steve McCoy's New Book 'Rite of Passage' Shares the Eventful Journey of a US Navy in the Chaotic Sixties
