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An Inside Look - Three Squares and a Rack



Title: Three Squares and a Rack

Author: Philip R Morehouse

ISBN: ISBN-13: 978-1979918756 – ISBN-10: 1979918759

Page count: 293

Genre: Fiction; Survival/Adventure

Book Price: $14.99

Kindle Price: $4.99 or Free with Kindle Unlimited membership


Author Bio:

I was born in the foothills of the Adirondack Mountains in upstate New York, where I started my life's training on the family-owned farm. My grandfather mentored me throughout my youth, teaching me how to spearfish, set a trap, and stalk big game. These skills back in those days were crucial to the family's survival.


After graduating from high school, I enlisted in the Navy, where I received engineering and survival training, then was assigned to an amphibious ship that was deployed as a part of the Cuban Blockade Missile Crisis and later rescued Americans from Haiti during the Dominion/Haiti Crisis. I also served an extended hitch during the Viet Nam War. After returning home, I married and joined the Army National Guard, serving in various aerial and ground support photography assignments.


Among the many diverse jobs, I have worked as a professional writer and photographer for over 60 years. With my family grown and on their own, I now pursue what I love the most - writing true-to-life, survival, adventure-type stories from which I draw on my past experiences and extensive research.


Tell us about your book:

"Three Squares and a Rack" is a story told through the eyes of Cal Morison. It is a story based on his enlistment, boot camp, schooling, and duties while serving in the US Navy during the early 60s.

How does this book relate to your real-life experiences?

"Three Squares and a Rack" recounts my experiences just before leaving home, enlisting, going through boot camp, special schooling, entering the fleet, and stepping into harm's way. The names of individuals I interacted with have been changed to protect the innocent and the guilty.


How long did it take to write the book?

It took seven months from concept to rough draft, initial edits, and final edit to finally have it published on December 20, 2017.


What inspired you to write the book?

This long-anticipated book is the planned sequel to "Ten Dollars a Week – Room and Board" which continues with my life as Cal Morison with a second sequel in the works.


Let's talk about the writing process. Did you have a writing routine? Did you do any research, and if so, what did that involve?

Having a computer and word processor at my disposal and being retired, I find it easy to write, and what better subject to draw on than my past experiences?


What do you hope your readers come away with after reading your book?

I would hope that my readers would come away with a better understanding of what it was like to serve in the US Navy during the early 60s, the expectations of those who served, and the history of the times.


Where can we go to buy your book?

This book is readily available online through Amazon.com as a softcover or a Kindle download or at Barnes & Noble. If any of your bookstores should be out of stock, be sure to give them the following number: ISBN-13: 978-1979918756.





Excerpt from this novel:


"A rather large man in an unbuttoned, wind-whipped, Peacoat, which barely covered his dark blue Navy uniform, came out of the darkness and started screaming at them as if they were to blame for everything that had ever gone wrong in his dominated life.

Cal couldn't believe that any one man could yell so much. In all his life, he had never heard such language or yelling. He told them, at the top of his lungs, that they were no longer PFCs (poor f*$^@* up civilians) but would now be referred to as low, crawling, shit-eating maggots, and not to forget it. They were also told that their mommas were no longer here and that they'd better shape up or they'd be shipped back home to suckle with the pigs and several other rather unpleasant things that had to do with animals.

At that moment, he knew he'd made a terrible mistake, and his mind raced to think of a way out of this mess. But … it was too late. He was trapped in a place and a lifestyle that was as alien to him as the moon was to the astronauts, minus the space suits."


"There they stood, hundreds, upon hundreds of men, in long lines, ten deep, bare butt naked, with their new clothes piled next to them."


"Then, they were told to march on down the hall to the shower located there. He prayed that they wouldn't encounter any women. As they walked over a series of tile pads, liquid disinfectant sprayed upward to delouse them - so they were told. They were instructed after that to take a shower and to form a line outside the room in the same order in which they'd entered. He was sure to keep his distance from the guy in front of him and the one behind. A lot of kidding went on over their precarious situation."


"While they had been showering, a whole staff of Corps-persons had arrived and set up an assembly line for giving shots.


They were shocked to see that there were several women among them, though none caught his eye as being anything to write home about. Row by row, they were marched past the corps people and given shots in both shoulders; as they took two steps forward and stopped again, two more shots were given and then another two steps, finally ending with one shot in the butt. The shot in the butt was referred to as a Bicillin L-A shot, a massive, deep intramuscular injection of penicillin designed to treat many types of severe infections, including strep, rheumatic fever, and syphilis."


"Their wake-up call was like nothing he'd ever heard and delivered by a sadist who, no doubt, tortured people in another life. The dead quiet of the morning was shattered with bright lights, yelling, and a sound of a GI can being reamed out with a 16-ounce glass Coke bottle. At first, he thought the place was on fire, and they had to evacuate right then and there.


They were told that they had 15 minutes to SSS & D and be out on the grinder – whatever that was. It certainly didn't sound very pleasant. Anyone who was thought to be a slacker, the CO kicked in the butt – hence the term "boot camp".





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