Upon reaching adulthood, many people go from job to job seeking simply to survive. If college, technical school, or apprenticeship in a trade isn't an appealing option, there's another avenue young adults may wish to consider: the military.

In A Marine from Renault, author Andrew J. Rickert shares the true story of his experiences upon leaving high school and entering the US Marine Corps in 1954, at the age of seventeen. He describes in detail his three-year adventure with the marines, traveling from his home on a farm in Renault, Illinois, to boot camp in Paris Island, South...