It's the 1960s, and cultural and political unrest is sweeping across America. In the midst of this turmoil, three young Americans find themselves on a path that sends them to join the war effort in Vietnam; Dion Murphy, a handsome football player from Georgia; Cathy Addison, a pretty young nurse from Minnesota; and Norman Coddington, a young man from a wealthy but dysfunctional Boston family. While in Vietnam, all three, along with a beautiful young nurse from the Philippines, must confront enemies from their pasts while walking into an uncertain future.Set against the backdrop of minor skirmishes and culminating in one of the Vietnam War's longest and bloodiest battles, Whisper in My Ear is a story of two loving couples--with ordinary desires and passions--who are called on to bear witness to an extraordinary time as they serve in the US Marine Corps and the US Navy, and strive to fulfill their duties and follow their orders, whether they agree with them or not, while a gruesome and bloody war rages all around them.This novel also emphasizes the important role women play in all wars, whether they remain at home or serve abroad, and the debt of gratitude the wounded owe to the critical and angelic care of a combat nurse. The insane torture of captured and or wounded American Marines by the Apache woman is almost unbelievable but true, as are the facts about the Vietnamese culture and the war itself. The Vietcong women were also adept spies and snipers, and the male sniper characterized in the story is based on the life of a famous North Vietnamese mercenary. The story also depicts the exploits of the Vietnam War's most famous American sniper, Marine Sergeant Carlos Hathcock, and the torment suffered by Americans in the prison camp known as the Hanoi Hilton. You will also learn about the unsung heroics of the "Brown Water Navy" and the "Blue Water Navy," and the major impact they had on the war effort and in saving American and South Vietnamese lives. The contributions of our allies, particularly those of Australia, Canada, Sweden, the Philippines, and South Korea, is acknowledged in this story and gratefully appreciated!
About the Author: John Henry Hardy served more than thirty three years in the US Marine Corps, first as an artilleryman and than a military policeman. At the end of his first stint, he worked full time as a technician for AT&T while attending night school at Rutgers University, and in less than five years was awarded a bachelor's degree in Psychology. In 1983 he earned a master's degree in Business Management at the University of Phoenix, in Phoenix, Arizona. One of his stories earned him the George Washington Honor Medal by Freedoms Foundation at Valley Forge, and for another press release he was awarded the Freedoms Foundation Honor Certificate. "I have always wanted to be a writer, even in grammar school and was encouraged by my teachers to do so. Shortly after graduation from high school I wrote my first novel entitled, "The Phantom Fighters" that went unpublished, since I had joined the Marine Corps." While I was in college, the Vietnam war was raging and I was able to observe many of the antiwar demonstrations first hand. Many of them were nothing but love fests and I heard the speakers spewing remarks about the American war effort and our soldiers that I knew were mostly lies. The returning veterans were treated horribly by the young and foolish demonstrators. I was recalled to active duty in 1994 and remained in the Corps until I was forced to retire because of age. While caring for my ill wife for a number of years I tried my hand at writing again, and in July 2015 CreateSpace, an Amazon company, published my epic novel, "Whisper In My Ear," a love story that depicts the actual events of the war from the perspective of the men and women who served there. The four main characters are fictitious, but they are typical of all of our Vietnam veterans, and the researched historical facts of the war and the Vietnamese culture are all true!