An autobiography of the innocence, happiness, and final disappointment of a West Virginia coal miner's son who sees his country on the slippery slope to immorality and cultural destruction as he journeys from the coal fields to the military and highest levels of academia. This book describes the life and travels of a skinny, hard-nosed, hard-working West Virginia kid, a true believer in his family, the West Virginia-Appalachia culture, and the goodness and righteousness of the United States of America. Rags to riches story of a sort, from the primitive life of the coal fields to a Chief Master Sergeant in the Air Force and a Ph.D. from a world-class university. He reveals a liberating journey and appreciation of his country while at the same time experiencing the slow decay of the American culture and values that he knew as a young man.