The son of a dentist, he grew up hungering for more action and fame than his home town of Robinson, Ill., could possibly offer. So right out of high school, in 1939, a feisty welterweight by then, he signed up with the regular Army. As promised, adventure and travel were his Honolulu, Schofield Barracks, amateur boxing, Pearl Harbor, Guadalcanal, Purple Heart, Bronze Star. But advancement seemed beyond James Jones twice he made noncom and got busted back to private. After five boisterous years and a war, he returned to civilian life. But he packed the Army with him and marched its...
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