Morton Hill Academy for Boys

After Jack Baker’s mother died, his father decided to enroll him in the Morton Hill Academy for Boys because it was geographically close to the Portsmouth, Maine, shipyard where Captain Baker was stationed. The words etched into the stone entryway of the school was: Semper Fidelis or “Always Faithful” which is the motto of the U.S. Marines.

When Jack and his father arrived, they were given a tour of the campus. There were two classroom buildings, Lexington Hall and Concord Hall. There were also two dormitories. Fort O’Brien was for the high school boys and Camp Keys was for the younger boys where Jack would be staying. The cafeteria was called Dunkirk Commons and there was a campus church called Armistice Chapel.

Jack couldn’t help but notice the militaristic names given to the buildings at the boarding school and wonder...