Left Behind

by Cecilia A. Garcia

Specialist Camillo Rodriguez had dreamed of serving in the Army since he was a young boy. His childhood dream came true in 1999, when he officially completed his basic and advanced individual trainings. His fellow soldiers coined him as Roddie, and that became his official nickname. Roddie planned to be a lifer, serving for at least 20 years, if not more. He aspired to be like his uncle and dad, who had both bravely fought in Vietnam. But before Roddie could celebrate his five year anniversary, his unit was attacked by insurgents in Iraq. While Roddie attempted to save his best friend Sgt. Emily Sanders, he was shot through his calf. He was forced to choose between saving himself and the only other survivor- Simmons, and to leave behind Sanders and their medic, Grant.
While the bullet to his calf would be part of the reason he could not serve any longer, the larger reason was due to his survivors guilt and PTSD for not trying harder to save his best friend.
He left Sanders and Grant behind, and that would haunt him for the rest of his life.

126 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 22, 2023

Reviews

[Mark Love · Rating 5 out of 5]

Left Behind is the fourth book in the “Always Forward” series. I’ve enjoyed the first three and appreciate Cecilia Garcia’s efforts to tell a difficult story. She portrays the characters well and describes the challenges each one faces over the years following the time when Emily Sanders goes missing in action in Iraq.

This book is a peek behind the curtain about the trauma and struggles soldiers face, not only in training and combat, but when they are able to return home. It grabbed me by heart and demanded my attention.

I’ll be picking up the fifth book in the series soon.

Highly recommended.