Category: Historical Fiction Publisher: Little Elephant Publishing
Type: Fiction
Pages: 368
Copyright: Dec 1, 2011
ISBN-13: 9780985472702
Cold War story spanning almost 40 years starting in 1970. An Air Force Captain shot down who never returned home and brings the question, What Happened to Jacob Walden?
Forgotten Soldiers – The Cold War Conspiracy Epic of Captain Jacob Walden shot down over Vietnam in 1970 and the ensuing unknown story of why he never returned home. Forty years later Journalist Ted Pratt investigates what may be the sudden reappearance of Jacob Walden. Following the trail, Ted encounters Charlie Smith, a secretive and seasoned Operative who has the answers to the question about “What Happened to Jacob Walden.”
A Military Action Thriller filled with Suspense, Mystery, Conspiracy, Tragedy and even a little romance. A story filled with twists and surprises that unfolds and reveals something unknown to most, and what many others want to forget.
Excerpt
Vietnam - June 30, 1970
Day 1
“Oh God, Oh God, Oh God!”
Captain Jacob Walden yelled out through his oxygen mask as his ejection seat violently propelled him through the Vietnam sky. The sounds of his yells were muffled by the oxygen mask over his face and the almost deafening sounds of the ejection seat rockets that just seconds before lifted him out of the exploding aircraft he was in. Over the mid-morning sky of Vietnam the rockets propelling Captain Walden’s ejection seat extinguished, his parachute opened, and the ejection seat separated, falling towards the earth almost 20,000 feet below….
….The previous violent moments were now transitioning to a surreal quietness and peacefulness. The cold sweat Jake was experiencing was caressed by the breeze of the air as Jake flew through the sky under his parachute. As he regained his composure, he looked around and then down to see what under normal circumstances any sport parachute enthusiasts would be thoroughly enjoying. It was eerily quiet, except for the slight sound of the air passing through the parachute as Jake began from an unusually high altitude of about 20,000 feet the slow descent towards the ground.
During his descent, Jake was transitioning to becoming one more American falling victim to the Vietnam War. While Jake already had memberships in several personal and professional organizations and clubs, he was about to join a unique and somewhat ironic privileged membership in three more, one as a Prisoner of War and another as a Veteran of the Vietnam War. The third one, however, would not receive any real recognition for the sacrifices made by people like Jake Walden. People like Jake did not receive recognition, memorials, or even a national monument in their honor or remembrance. Captain Jacob Walden was about to take up membership in a fraternity of “Forgotten Soldiers.”
Professional Reviews
Highly Recommended 5 Stars
Although this is a work of fiction, the story could very well have happened and none of us would have been the wiser.
Captain Jacob Walden, 24, had only been in Vietnam for a month when his plane is shot down in 1970. He ejects safely, only to be captured by farmers loyal to the enemy. The author chronicles Jacob’s 400-mile trek on foot through the jungles - northward toward Hanoi where he can be turned over to the proper authorities. Jakes entire world takes a flip upside down when his captors inform him that Vietnam is not at war with the United States, therefore, the Geneva Convention does not apply. Jake is not a POW, instead, he is judged a criminal and sentenced to prison.
Thus began his daily ritual of torture, starvation, inhumane treatment and isolation. Thinking his life could not get any worse, Jake soon discovers how wrong he is when a masochistic Russian Major takes over the interrogation and torture.
The author uses real events in his story such as the historic U.S. raid on the Son Tay prison camp to rescue seventy American prisoners – a location only 23 miles west of Hanoi, Jane Fonda’s infamous trip to the Hanoi Hilton Prison in North Vietnam, and the fall of the Russian empire.
Thirty-six years later, Capt Jacob Walden is officially pronounced dead by the United States government. A reporter and Jacob’s brother do not believe this to be true and set out on their own to find proof to the contrary. What they find instead is shocking! To tell anymore would be a spoiler - you’ll have to read this fine story on your own to see how it ends. Warning: you’ll stay up late into the night reading because you won’t be able to stop. Highly recommended! Five Stars! Great job Warren!
John Podlaski author, Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel
http://cherrieswriter.wordpress.com/
Quick and Enjoyable Read
Forgotten Soldiers by Warren Martin pulls the reader into an intriguing Cold War saga filled with mystery. What ever happened to Jacob Walden, an Air Force Captain who was shot down over North Vietnam during the height of the war? The answers are revealed in this pulse racing mystery that takes the reader on a fantastic journey around the world! A quick and enjoyable read; be prepared for adventure!
S. B. Newman author, “The Night Eagles Soared” and “Burnt Yellow and Red”
http://thenighteaglessoared.blogspot.com/
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