Part Rottweiler, part Labrador, Gordy was rescued by David Smith from mistreatment in an environment where he was kept outside – rain or shine.  Smith would often drive by Gordy’s home, witnessing firsthand his neglect and abuse.  He eventually befriended Gordy (and his owners) and convinced them to turn Gordy over to him to serve…

Robert Kesselring

Retired missile scientist Robert Kesselring’s search for treasure began when his aunt gave him Barry Storm’s Thunder Gods Gold. It was a book that comforted him throughout his life, would help him weather his time in Vietnam, and would become a foundation for his research. After serving in Vietnam, Kesselring graduated from SMU with a…

Bill Blackwell

Bill Blackwell grew up in the desert of Palm Springs. He graduated from the University of Colorado and Western State University, College of Law. Blackwell spent the majority of his legal career practicing entertainment law in Los Angeles and moved to Nevada near Lake Tahoe. Blackwell learned about the Superstition Mountains and the Legend of…

Robert McNamara

Robert McNamara (June 9, 1916 – July 6, 2009) was the eighth and longest-serving U.S. Secretary of Defense, holding the office from 1961 to 1968 under presidents John F. Kennedy and Lyndon B. Johnson. He was born in San Francisco, California, and attended UC Berkeley and Harvard Business School. McNamara served in the Air Force…

Stevie Fielding

Wherever Stevie (Stephen) Fielding goes, “there’s nothing but trouble.” The illegitimate child of an abusive mother who didn’t want him, Stevie was raised by his step-grandparents and by various foster parents at Huber Boys’ Home. He grew up abused and neglected. Now a troubled, impoverished young man living in a trailer park, Stevie is contacted…

Steve James

Steve James became Stephen Fielding’s “Big Brother” in 1982, while attending Southern Illinois University. He went into the experience with high expectations but soon found it to be much more difficult than he’d thought; Stevie seemed like an accident waiting to happen, and Steve had trouble connecting with him. He never felt like he understood…

Zack Bazzi

Sergeant Zack Bazzi is a Lebanese-born Arab who escaped from the Lebanon Civil War with his family at age 10. His mother Sana doesn’t want him to go to war, but Bazzi says one reason he joined the military was to travel and see the world, and he has been deployed overseas twice before –…

Mike Moriarty

Specialist Mike Moriarty was so moved by the 9/11 attacks that he joined the National Guard. As an Army reservist during the first Gulf War, Moriarty’s unit was ready to ship out to Iraq just as the war ended. He says he rejoined the Guard because he “could not stand to see another soldier die…

Steve Pink

Sergeant Stephen Pink is a wise-cracking former reporter who made a “rash decision” to join the National Guard for college money — and to prove to himself that he could do it. Born and raised in Kingston, Massachusetts, he’s a sensitive guy deep down (as his girlfriend, Lindsay Coletti, says), and he keeps a journal…

Arvilla Holden

Contains Spoilers: Arvilla Holden (Jessica Lange) and her husband Joe traveled the world during their twenty years of marriage—right up until Joe dies in the middle of their trip to Borneo. Heartbroken, Arvilla prepares to carry out his final wishes and scatter his ashes. But when she’s unable to locate Joe’s updated will, her stepdaughter…