My father, Norman Gene ÔWaÕ Warlick is one of the last survivors of the Greatest Generation and he grew up in a very unique time. He spent his childhood in a small town in the Carolina foothills, in a neighborhood where every adult was a surrogate parent; where children had to ÔimagineÕ and ÔcreateÕ their own fun; where families had ÔlittleÕ in the way of material possessions but ÔmuchÕ in the way of unity and love; where patriotic young men and women put their ÔlifeÕs plansÕ on hold in support of a nation at war; where Ôgood clean funÕ was the favorite pastime. All of the unique qualities of his time helped define the man my father became: a teacher, a scoutmaster, an accountant, a church leader, a carpenter, a devoted husband, and for me and my brothers, a loving father and mentor. This book is his story, told to me over several yearsÕ time, through his unique story-telling quality. It is the story of Norman Gene ÔWaÕ Warlick, who managed to get-by and succeed through his life Ð by the skin of his teeth.