A Dime's Worth of Paper Plates

In A Dime's Worth of Paper Plates the author calls himself a typical guy who became a teenager during the Depression years and became a man during World War II. Duke begins with his ancestors' history in Norway and their emigration to Iowa in 1892. His grandfather acquired a number of farms in the Norwegian community in central Iowa and the author lived on one of these farms as a child. His childhood is idyllic though the Depression and the Dust Bowl years take their toll on the adults in the community. His stepfather takes a job in Pecos Texas in 1936 and the family adjusts to a new life in this little cow town. Following a year of college Duke joins the army in 1944 and after training at Ft. Hood is sent overseas for two years. He serves in Company F 314th Infantry 79th Division in the European Theater. After the war he returns to Texas A&M to complete his degree. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in the air Force he serves four years as an intelligence officer during the Korean War.