Shedding new light on post-Vietnam War American society, this revised edition of a personal journal first published in 1971 chronicles a soldier's seven weeks of basic training during the 1960s. Wry humour, deadpan delivery, and ironic insight reflect both the shattered innocence and conflicted patriotism of a generation and the definitive tone that has come to represent the 1960s in contemporary culture. Journalistic detail and narrative development of each week's events challenge traditional patriotic images and speak to the current debates of political and military authoritarianism.