SHADOW SOLDIER: KILO ELEVEN

by Raymond S. Ormond

A surreal story of a young American Soldier caught in a whirlwind of fateful events that sweep him away from his young family to the deep jungles where the borders of Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam collide, with a team of Special Forces Raiders to help them carry out a frightening, bazaar, and deadly mission. He has to rely on every skill he has learned from both his younger years as skilled hunter, and his recent Army training as a Armor Recon Scout at Ft. Knox, neither of which has fully prepared him for the hardships he must endure. He must constantly observe the Raiders before him and adapt instantly to everything they do in order to survive. And when the moment comes, he must do what is necessary to keep them all alive - despite the fact they really want nothing to do with him! And all the while, he finds himself wrapped in the smothering, stifling but beautiful jungle that seems to be watching and waiting for the chance to swallow them all for ever into its towering shadows - -

133 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 5, 2017

Reviews

[John Podlaski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit that I became hooked on this story right from the start. "Shadow Soldier: Kilo Eleven" by Raymond Ormond, kept my interest and I found it difficult to put down. The protagonist signed up for all the military training he could take after Basic Training in order to delay his deployment to Vietnam. But after a year, the Army finally cornered him and issued the dreaded orders. He went home on a 30-day leave to be with his wife and newborn son, but couldn't relax, and proceeded to the West Coast Replacement Depot after only two weeks. There, he managed to "hide" from the other sergeants to avoid the many work details issued to waiting soldiers and then spent a few days alone in an old WWII barracks - further delaying the inevitable.

His solitude was ruined when a squad of Green Berets took over the barracks - one of them was injured and an ambulance took him to the base hospital. Now, short a man for a critical clandestine mission in Laos, the protagonist is hijacked and becomes the team's 12th man - "Kilo Eleven."

The rollercoaster has just started and it's time for readers to hold on to their hats. What's the mission? Why him? Will he survive? The mission is filled with twists and turns - readers will hold their breath until the outcome.

The story is filled with numerous typos, but they are by design as the author wanted the story to have a rough edge as if the main character was telling his story over a couple of beers at the bar. Great story and worth a read! Great job Mr. Ormond!

John Podlaski, author
"Cherries - A Vietnam War Novel" and "When Can I Stop Running?"

[Brent Bug · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading the book being a veteran myself I can relate to some of the parts about military life. I never went to Viet Nam so I really do not know how realistic it is but it was written well and easy to read and I enjoyed it.