My dad always cussed me and told me, "You'll never amount to nothing. You're dumb and stupid. You don't know how to do anything. You don't even know how to dig a ditch straight and you'll never amount to anything." Maybe, I guess, that stuck in my mind for all my life really, so I was determined to prove him wrong... My mom used to say, "Well, son, just hang in there until you get eighteen. You'll be eighteen one of these days and you can get away from all this. You can get away from your dad. You can go into the service because I know that's what you want to do." But all it takes is determination, working hard, believing in yourself, and that's what I did. I believed in myself, I worked hard, and so I finally made it. I advanced, I persevered, ... looking back, hard work does pay off. "I had to swim the river against some mighty big waves, but I was determined to keep going and make it to the other side. At times, I thought I would not make it, but that was when God took control and carried me on." This is the true story of how one man survived from birth to 17 years and 9 months of living through hell, and how his self-determination to beat the odds led him to a positive and productive life and career.