Reluctant But Ready: A Novel Based on a True Story

Vietnam produced a generation of stories as complicated and unsettling as the jungles in which it was fought. As the years have passed, hard truths have emerged about those years. Reluctant but Ready reveals an until-now classified account of the fight that happened in back alleys, muddy outposts, secret warehouses with firing ranges and replica towns and in the skies above the fray.

Mark Masters is a young man from a small town in West Virginia, filled with optimism and a love of God, family and country, who joins the Navy intent on doing his part to make America safe. He is reluctant but ready to defend the greatest nation in the world from the insidious threat of communism. The powers that be quickly learn that Masters is a gifted killer and steer him to the covert side of war, honing his skills and asking for more than he knew he had to give.

Masters faces each dangerous impasse with a calm beyond his years and a humility that is expected of God fearing southern boys. His heroics saved countless lives and, instead of marching in parades and being hailed the hero, accounts of his acts were quickly sealed in envelopes stamped “TOP SECRET” and filed into the archives of a war that was a source of contention and bitterness for soldiers and civilians alike.

The time has come to tell his story, to shed light on this murky subject and acknowledge many honorable and unsung heroes.

Reluctant but Ready reveals a Vietnam few know about and fewer experienced. It is an autobiographical fiction work and will appeal to veterans, war enthusiasts, historians, and all who enjoy action packed reading!