The morning of D-Day has finally arrived, and shells are exploding in the water around the young soldier as he drives his Jeep onto the Normandy beach. His orders say to turn right and follow everyone else, but he remembers a map he studied of the area. There should be a safer road on the hill. He swings left, bouncing the vehicle up a draw. Sure enough, he finds the road and protection from enemy fire. This impulse must have been a gift from God, just one of many he will experience before this war is over. Shooting from the Hip is full of homespun stories like this one, telling the story of World War II from the perspective of a very unconventional Jeep messenger from Texas. Throughout the war, Norris "Tex" Waddill follows his impulses and ends up in the Army on the other side of the world, far from his Central Texas home. His desire to serve his country without being a by-the-book soldier leads him through many captivating adventures from boot camp to D-Day to the Battle of the Bulge and beyond.