Always Reaching: Turbulent Seas > Tranquil Bays

ALWAYS REACHING, > Tranquil Bays Book Two of the Intrepid Seeker Series is a memoir about surviving the war and finally finding the way home. Gerry's journey continues from the flight decks of the USS Constellation into the dangerous skies over Vietnam-and eventually toward a life he once wondered whether he would live long enough to have. Flying the F-4 Phantom from Yankee Station, Gerry faces combat missions, enemy fire, loss, and the constant uncertainty shared by the young men who climbed into their aircraft knowing there were no guarantees they would return. When one mission ends with his crippled Phantom going down near the Vietnamese coast, survival takes on an entirely new meaning. But coming home proves to be a different kind of challenge. Back in California, Gerry attempts to rebuild the life war interrupted. Shore duty, flying, engineering studies, old friendships, and memories of those who didn't come home begin to replace the daily realities of combat. Then he finds Helen again. She was the woman Gerry had been forced to leave when Vietnam called-the woman he never completely forgot. Amazingly, when they reunite, the years between them seem to disappear. Their connection is stronger than before, and Helen gradually becomes the steady presence Gerry didn't realize he desperately needed. She doesn't erase Vietnam. She helps him find his way beyond it. As Gerry begins imagining marriage, family, and a future together, it seems the turbulent seas of his life may finally be giving way to tranquil bays. Until Helen tells him something he never expected to hear: "I'm scared... very scared of losing you." Gerry doesn't understand what she means. But he cannot forget the fear in her eyes A story of combat and survival, friendship and loss, love and second chances, > Tranquil Bays follows one young naval aviator's continuing search for something beyond the next mission-the life, and the woman, worth coming home to.