George S. Oliver
Colonel, U.S. Army
(Retired)

AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY – The Complete and Unusual Story of a Career Army Officer

A detailed account of the heritage and childhood of George Oliver, followed by his 32-year Army career. During the Great Depression his family suffered abject poverty, yet his experiences shaped his character for the challenges that lay ahead. This is fast-paced and humorous, a story you haven’t heard before.

The last eight years of his limited formal education was spent in a series of one-room schools in remote northern Idaho. Despite his disadvantages he entered the Army as a private six months after Pearl Harbor and was soon selected for officer candidate training. He became a second lieutenant before the age of 21. He was in the deep south during the remainder of World War II, initially assigned to seacoast security duty and later as a training officer. Immediately after the war he was sent to Japan where he served two and a half years as commanding officer of a segregated Negro truck company, and this experience soon marked him as an officer with high potential for further advancement. There followed a long series of command and staff assignments, including an extended period of combat duty during the Korean War and duty with the NATO organization, Headquarters, Department of the Army, and the Office of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

This is the story of a young man who found love and adventure in the 20th Century of America and the world. It is a ‘must read’ for young people (and their parents) who may be contemplating a career in the U.S. Armed Forces. It illustrates the advantages and opportunities available to those who are willing to apply themselves and to seek and accept responsibility.