12. An Unusual Upbringing
It would not be quite accurate to describe Carter as a social misfit. However, his background, the restrictions imposed by his religious parents, and the environment in which he grew up, all combined to form him in a different mold. The first major manifestation of just how different he was came when Carter was still in his teens. While there is nothing unusual about teenagers acting up, rebelling, and testing boundaries, Edward’s teenage rebellion, when it came, went beyond testing boundaries: he shattered them. No taking up smoking, drinking, drugs, or hanging out with punks and ne’er do wells: that was for poseurs and pikers, and would not do for Edward Allen Carter, Jr. Instead, he ran away at age fifteen to go fight the Imperial Japanese Army.
