When Tom's buddy dies in the bed next to him in the Veterans' Home, Tom comes face to face with his own mortality. Realizing his three grown children know very little of the events that shaped him into the man he became, he opens the storage boxes of his mind and writes a journal of his memories. Tom is a WWII and Korean War veteran, a retired football coach and educator with a wealth of stories to tell. The process takes him from childhood Depression Era memories through his adult experiences in college, teaching, coaching, and family life. He relives exciting recollections of WWII covert operations, intrigue and romance as well as the horrors of fighting in Korea. In "Cardboard Boxes," an ordinary man reveals a surprisingly action-packed life; a life lived with wisdom, integrity and dignity.