Captain Jake Roberts is about to return home from
Afghanistan after four years in the military. With Jake's
expertise, one would expect him to have many medals and
ribbons, but Jake screwed up in the past. He receives a
second chance with the creation of a rehabilitation unit.
Jake thinks it is just another name for a screw-up unit who
gets sent to do tough jobs that no one else wants to do.
The men have drug, alcohol and assault charges against
them, but they've all straightened up under Jake's
command.
On one of their previous missions, Jake's men are out on a
convoy when one of their trucks gets stuck. While the men
are trying to get it back on the road, an event occurs that
allows Jake's team to come across millions of American
dollars. This money, if they can get it back to the states,
will serve as their severance pay.
On their last mission, Jake and one of his men risk their
lives to rescue another captain. Their actions are recorded
by an unmanned aircraft and viewed by several commanding
officers back at the base and at command center. However,
the unit's bravery isn't enough to change Jake's
commander's mind on their discharge status, even though the
two men are to be awarded Bronze Stars for saving the
captain.
After hiding the money for almost a year, the day arrives
when the unit is to be sent to another base to receive
their medals. In a few short hours, Jake discovers someone
else knows about the money and his life is in great danger.
The severance may have to be sacrificed to keep the men
from going to prison. Jake just needs to figure out who
knows about the money and who wants him dead before it is
too late.
I had a personal interest in wanting to read THE SEVERANCE
by Elliott Sawyer because my son recently returned
from Iraq. This story gave me another viewpoint into the
lives of our military in the Middle East. Our men and women
courageously fight in terrible conditions and count on our
government to provide them with the means to stay as safe
as possible. The characters in THE SEVERANCE feel the
military is slighting them. Though I can certainly
understand the men's motivation, it is a struggle to
justify hiding the money for their personal use. The
authentic depiction of life in the military, due to the
author's own military experience and expertise, was
refreshing. This story does a fantastic job of portraying
the consequences of bad decisions and the long-reaching
effects these decisions have for Jake. Quite interesting
reading.
The Severance is the story of deadly intrigue within a “rehabilitation platoon,” made up of bitter, unruly troublemakers and misfits whose past disciplinary sins have led the Army to put them into this unit, a unit assigned the dirty missions no one else wants. They are 21st-century counterparts of the World War II rogue soldiers in The Dirty Dozen, the 1965 bestseller made into the classic movie of that name. The platoon’s leader is Captain Jake Roberts, picked as punishment for past lapses of his own. He and his men, fighting and patrolling in the Afghan mountains, discover a large cache of American dollars hidden by a corrupt contractor. They devise a plan to hide it and later smuggle it out of the country when they are sent home for discharge. They call it their “Severance pay package.” Soon the men discover the Taliban insurgents aren’t the only enemy they must confront and defeat on and off the battlefield. Someone has found out about The Severance and wants to highjack it. Is this second enemy one of them, another soldier at their base, or even Jake’s girlfriend, a nurse? The mystery builds to a climax as their unknown adversary tries to kill Jake and some of his men while they seek to safeguard The Severance and determine the identity of their deadly stalker.
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