Hero of Love and War

Inspired by true events, A Hero of Love and War is a story of World War II bravery and heroism and the enduring power of love. The story begins in 1942 when Patricia Faust and her mother move into the upstairs apartment of the home owned by Will Bardon. As the relationship between Will and Patricia develops, Will and his widowed mother are devastated by the news that Will's brother, Robert, has been killed in France. Will resolves that he can no longer sit idly by while others sacrifice their lives to defend their country. Over Patricia's protests, he enlists in the army air force. On December 30, 1943, returning from a bombing run, Will's plane is shot down over German-occupied France. Gravely wounded, Will spends nine days in the frigid Ardennes forest before he is found by French Résistance fighters. With his legs badly gangrened, the French fighters realize they have no alternative but to turn Will over to the Germans for medical treatment. Before they do, the French remove Will's dog tags, which identify him as Jewish. Without his dog tags, Will's identity remains unknown and he is reported missing in action. Believing the love of her life to have been killed in action, Patricia enters a relationship with a young man who is launching a career with US clandestine services. Patricia's world is abruptly turned upside down when Will is discovered in a POW camp in Poland. As he is repatriated, Patricia is suddenly confronted with the reality that Will is now a double amputee. Facing years of rehabilitation, Will insists that Patricia move on with her life without him. Patricia marries the other man in her life, and the reader is introduced to the excitement of life in Havana and Mexico City in the 1950s. Nevertheless, Patricia finds herself inexorably drawn to her first love. The story ends with an affirmation of the indomitable power of love and the human spirit to overcome impossible odds.