This book is an account of the experiences of Fredrick L. Pumroy from birth to retirement. It is an attempt to capture his real life experiences and describe how those experiences impacted the life of those associated with him. It was initially written to provide a historical document for his descendents, so they will know the trials and tribulations their father and grandfather went through. His final reason for writing this book is to give an example of how a person growing up under poor economic conditions could be successful in life and tries to answer the question: why do people do dangerous things even though it may cost them their lives. He also wanted to provide his extended family and all the other people living through similar experiences the incentive to trust in God and follow the philosophy that "You can do whatever you put your mind to, if it is God's Will."