Duty and Dishonor

For years during and after the war in Vietnam, tales of two American turncoats fighting with the enemy were dismissed as bush lore. Still, sighting reports continued until the two shadowy figures-one black man and one white man-got the code name Salt and Pepper. No one could prove or disprove the persistent stories until a small Marine recon team had a very close encounter with them near the DMZ. The leader of that patrol, Staff Sergeant Wilhelm Pudarski, found the traitorous GIs, looked into their eyes from the wrong end of a pistol, and lived to tell the tale. All photos and reports about the incident were classified. And then it all promptly disappeared with no revelation or explanation. After the war, it was forgotten...by everyone except Willy Pudarski. With a couple of veteran buddies, he embarks on a quest to find out the truth behind the legend. And that truth is so shocking that witnesses begin to die in mysterious circumstances. The search for Salt and Pepper quickly turns into a deadly hunt across two continents. Here, in prose that positively crackles, he takes us along on what has been one great ride. -Ed Ruggero: Veteran, Writer, Motivational Speaker