In this chapter, Grant looks back on the early scenes that shaped him—an “idyllic” childhood in a Pennsylvania row house, walking to school with his mother, and winters so deep he remembers being up to his armpits in snow.

Then the family moves to Tampa, Florida, chasing opportunity and relief from the cold. What they find is a jarring new beginning: a sand-rut dirt road, an 18-by-20 wooden shack, army cots stacked high, an outhouse out back, and the pressure of a household stretched thin.

Grant reflects on his parents’ dynamic, faith and routine, school days in a changing America, and the sting of being told—twice—that he didn’t have what it takes. Three weeks before graduation, he makes a decision that becomes a turning point: he signs up for the Naval Reserve.

A vivid origin story about place, family, resilience—and the moment a young man chooses his next direction.