During World War II, the Army Air Corps had effective formulae for turning raw recruits, only a year or two out of high school, into flying officers—officers and gentlemen.

This is the story of one such recruit's transformation from college freshman into B-17 navigator, second lieutenant complete with silver wings and gold bars. Loving support from a nineteen-year-old bride helped bring about the transformation. His adventure started at the Presidio of Monterey in California and moved through four different stops in Texas and a final three in Iowa and Nebraska before he was ready to cross the Atlantic and attack Hitler's Festung Europa.