Getting Closer Book One (of three books) is a partial autobiography of the first twenty years of Garyas life. Told with humor, the story relates unusual childhood events and bizarre events such as Japanese riots, monsoons, typhoons, atomic detonations, near-death situationsaall encountered by a young man with no set goals or objectives in life, taking life day by day, facing whatever it brought, trying to find his niche in lifea]only to arrive back where he started, wondering what to do next. Book Two will continue Gary's story from age twenty to forty: additional trials, tribulations, misadventures, lessons to be learned before finding his niche in life, family life, twenty years of Naval Reserve and Seabees experiences, fishing and hunting tales. Book Three is Garyas story after age forty-plus and into retirement years, including his five-year quest for recognition of Atomic Veterans by the U.S. government.