This is a story of a poor boy, one of nine children (seven boys and two girls), who was drafted into the United States Navy. He experienced an entirely new world. It was a rude awakening for him. He had to shape up and learn the facts of life of surviving on a warship in a time of war. He had to learn how to be in harm's way and survive. This story is about a sailor on the new destroyer, named for Captain Van Valkenburg of the USS Arizona, who...