Newburgh native Michael J. Elliott has published his first book at 66, recounting a life that took him from the city’s East End to military service during the Gulf War while confronting childhood trauma he spent decades struggling to understand.

Published Sept. 13, Golden Boy: A Memoir of War, Peace and Resurrection explores Elliott’s experience surviving childhood sexual assault and his decades-long journey toward healing and finding his voice.

The memoir grew out of a visit to his great-grandparents’ graves that prompted Elliott, who now lives in Wilmington, North Carolina, to consider how his own life would be remembered. He began writing in March, initially envisioning a short document for his family that eventually grew into 129 chapters spanning nearly 500 pages.

“I wanted to make sure that whoever is here after I’m gone, that they would know my story, and the only person that could tell my story was me,” Elliott said.

Born in Newburgh in 1960, Elliott grew up on Chambers Street, about three blocks from the Hudson River, where the sounds of passing trains were part of everyday life. He recalled a neighborhood where children gathered at his family’s home to swim in the backyard pool, play on the swing set his father installed and stay outdoors until the streetlights came on.

Some of his favorite childhood memories also include chasing down the Good Humor truck with coins, watching vendors deliver fresh produce and visiting the former Palatine Hotel on Grand Street, where he entertained himself by repeatedly walking through its revolving doors. The hotel was later demolished during Newburgh’s urban renewal era.

Elliott’s four sisters were also part of those early memories. Two of them, Debbie and Crystal, nicknamed him “Golden Boy” because they believed he received special attention from their parents. What began as a teasing childhood nickname eventually became the title of his memoir.

But Elliott’s memories of Newburgh were not entirely happy.

As a young child, Elliott was outgoing and enjoyed speaking in front of others. He recalled participating in an Easter program at his church when he was four years old. Rather than reciting the poem his mother had taught him, he took the microphone and began telling the congregation about the people he had encountered on his walk to church. The audience applauded before his mother gently escorted him back to his seat.

But that confidence began to fade as he grew older. Elliott said he became increasingly withdrawn, sometimes breaking down in tears when asked to speak before an audience, without understanding why.

Decades later, Elliott began recalling experiences of childhood sexual assault that he said he had long buried. He sought counseling in his mid-50s, which helped him understand how those experiences had affected him and begin working through the trauma.

“I got help to learn how to not forget what happened, but learn that it doesn’t have to define me,” Elliott said.

At 17, he moved to Omaha, Nebraska, to live with an older sister and finish high school. He returned to Newburgh for a gap year before enrolling at Shaw University in Raleigh, North Carolina, choosing the historically Black university after attending a predominantly white high school in Nebraska, where he said he was one of only three minority students.

After graduating from Shaw at 23, Elliott returned to Newburgh for two weeks before visiting an Air Force recruiter on Broadway. He enlisted in the Air Force and later pursued an officer’s commission through the Army Medical Service Corps.

His military career eventually took him to the Persian Gulf War, where he helped lead soldiers from Saudi Arabia into Iraq. He recalled confronting the possibility that he might not return home while lying in a tent while Scud missiles fell nearby.

“Once I got there, I became very aware that war is not the fun and games that you see on TV,” Elliott said. “This is real life and death that we were dealing with.”

Following his military service, Elliott continued working in health care administration, spending 10 years with TRICARE’s management organization before serving approximately 20 years as a public affairs officer for the Army Surgeon General. He eventually retired and has now settled in Wilmington.

Although he had built a career spanning military and federal service, Elliott had never imagined becoming an author.

During that visit to his great-grandparents’ graves about three years ago, Elliott realized how little he knew about their lives. With his parents and older relatives deceased and no children of his own, he began wondering who would tell his story after he was gone.

Once he started writing, memories of his childhood, military service, personal struggles and accomplishments began flooding back. Elliott said the process became cathartic, allowing him to confront painful experiences from his past and find a sense of peace.

“I never imagined that I had a book in me because, again, I grew up thinking that my life was normal and all the different experiences I had in my life were just normal,” Elliott said.

He said he hopes the memoir will encourage others who have experienced trauma to seek support and understand that their experiences do not have to determine the rest of their lives.

“Facing your pain takes courage, and you’re really going to have to understand that it’s a journey, it’s a process,” Elliott said. “Nothing is going to change for you overnight.”

Elliott has also committed the proceeds he receives from book sales to the Carousel Center, a Wilmington organization that supports children and families affected by abuse. He said he connected with the organization after completing the memoir because counseling had played an important role in his own recovery.

His first book signing is scheduled for Nov. 1 in Wilmington, where he plans to give complimentary copies to the first 30 attendees and invite voluntary donations to the center.

Elliott said holding a published copy of Golden Boy for the first time brought him to tears as he reflected on the experiences he had finally put into words.

Today, he finds peace in the quieter moments of retirement, such as driving his convertible to nearby beaches to enjoy the ocean and sunshine. Although he has not lived in Newburgh for decades, he remembers the city fondly.

“I still see the beauty in Newburgh,” Elliot said. “I still see all the beautiful Victorian-type homes that are still there. I still see Downing Park, where I used to go as a kid and feed the ducks.”

Reflecting on his journey from Chambers Street to a career in military and federal service, Elliott said he believes his younger self would be proud of the life he has built.

That sense of fulfillment is captured in the final two words of his memoir: “He lived.”

“I didn’t sit on the sideline of my life and let my life just happen and let things just happen to me,” Elliott said. “I went out into the world, made a life for myself.”