Inthe early 1960s young men aged 16 to 19 from across the country, whowished to volunteer for officer training in the army, navy or airforce, were selected following a rigorous screening process and sentto one of Canada’s three military colleges: RMC, CMR, and RoyalRoads near Victoria, British Columbia. In addition to undergoing avery demanding training regimen, those attending Canadian ServicesCollege Royal Roads had the unique experience of being the lowest ofthe low in their first year and the highest of the high, the cadetsin charge, in their second year. Thisbook covers one academic year and although a work of fiction,incredible as some of the stories may seem, all of the anecdotes inthis book are fundamentally true. They convey the shock for the newboys at being thrust into a rigid system that gave them virtually noprivacy and harassed them almost 24 hours a day and the struggles ofthe second year boys to adapt to their position of power. The resultwas a step towards manhood that none of the cadets would ever forget.