As a morbidly obese and shy teenager, Michael spent most of his days dreaming of an escape from the mundane existence of rural life.
The monotony of Dunn wasn’t going to cut it for much longer. There was something burning inside Michael to do something bigger, one which could have a lasting impact on his life.
At age 19, Michael had one of those profound wake-up moments in life after seeing a Navy advertisement in a local newspaper. It asked the question “If Someone Wrote A Book About Your Life, Would Anyone Want To Read It?”
Stirred by the ad, Michael quickly met a recruiter from the US Navy, a moment which he still recalls to this day with a faint smile. This was the day which would change the course of his life forever. There he was, a 19-year old kid itching to get out of Dunn, sitting there with a recruiter desperate for any opportunity to escape.
“Give me whatever you have, as long as it leaves soon,” Michael pleaded.
Sensing Michael’s eagerness to leave Dunn, the recruiter offered him a job as an Equipment Operator (affectionately known as a Seabee), a position in the United States Navy that meant he could get off the farm within ten days.
“I’ll take it!” shouted Michael, before filling out the necessary paperwork.
And so the adventure began.