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.