A Soldier Without a Gun

Journalists embedded with troops during military conflicts are commissioned to report on the ebb and flow of battle from an eyes-on perspective, not to influence outcomes. Rusty Shephard risked his life to do both, volunteering for assignment as a World War I correspondent for United Press International in 1918 and traveling with the first wave of troops to France. With his marriage to fellow journalist Katie Keenan floundering back home, Rusty literally threw himself into the bloody trenches alongside his comrade soldiers battling a common enemy on the battlefield while battling his own demons within. In his absence, Katie, worried and confused, dove deeper into investigative reporting, uncovering a domestic plot of terrorism which placed her own life in danger. Their individual adventures resulted in Pulitzer Prizes for journalism, awards for heroism, and insights into themselves and their relationships. Could a young orphaned boy be a healing source for the emotional and physical scars they endured?

-- Jason Gray, Jr.