On The Carousel

I had my first drink, first drunk, and first blackout at age fourteen. I quit school at seventeen--because I already knew more than they did--and joined the army. A year later, I had been locked up in three county jails and four military stockades, gone through a summary court martial, and was facing a general court martial. I was given a choice: accept an undesirable discharge or stand the court martial and receive an almost certain military prison sentence. I chose the discharge.