Survive or Die Trying

United States Marine, Bernard Shepard dies, leaving a package to be mailed to his Vietnam War comrade.

Charles Masters, settled into his writing on the coast of southern Maine, opens the package and is shocked to find a note saying that Bernard, who he knew as Shep, has died.

The package explodes with memories of a horrific incident that occurred on a rain soaked hill in Vietnam.

Thrust into a challenging journey of discovery, covering three states, three countries, and five decades, Charles is forced to search his own scars to determine and understand his culpability. Memories fl utter like a broken film in a theatre, dragging him along a haunting path of guilt and forgiveness through the lingering shadows of war.

As memories rise like molten lava from a volcano, Charles revisits both the humor and the horror of a past he thought had been long buried.

With tenacity, determination, and the support of four strong women, Charles negotiates the learning curve of an ever changing environment. Struggling through a troubled youth, a relentless war, and a return home to an angry nation, he learns the complicated intricacies of trust and loyalty.