Antwone is working in the Deck Department on board the U.S.S. Schenectady LST 185. Previously, during boot camp in Illinois’ Great Lakes, he bonded with his company of sixty marines. After his lifetime of institutions and homelessness, Antwone adapts well to the rigorous drills of the navy. He graduates into Company 902. Antwone gains a sense of belonging and accomplishment from important jobs such as guiding helicopters in to land. Antwone serves for eleven years in the navy, travelling to far-flung places, such as Japan, New Zealand, New Guinea, Korea, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Spain.

Chief Lott is hard on Antwone but teaches him to stand and speak with confidence. Antwone learns to cut hair and to write, excelling in both. He receives glowing reports, despite getting into fights due to his unexpressed anger. Antwone sees Lieutenant Commander Williams, a navy psychiatrist, formally and then informally, which helps Antwone come to terms with his childhood. Another mentor, Senior Chief Akiona, pushes Antwone to achieve athletically. Antwone stands up for himself in a financial dispute and learns the power of the written word. He becomes a successful poet on board his ship and voraciously reads Dostoyevsky and James Baldwin. Diagnosed as dyslexic, he realizes his reading difficulties are not due to lack of intelligence.