Meet Author Ron T. Shaw

By Pat Cheek

I recently sat down with newcomer Ron Shaw and enjoyed hearing about his latest book HELLBENDER. The book is a docudrama regarding how American politics hampered U.S. Armed Forces from actually prevailing during the time of the Vietnam War. 

 Ron went on to say:  While President Lyndon Baines Johnson (after JFK was assassinated) worked on building the Socialist “Green Society” programs such as food stamps, gun control, environmental protection and civil rights, U.S. forces languished and waited for support. By the time support arrived and war was actually declared in 1965, Communists had already finished the 900 mile Ho Chi Minh Trail and it was “hell to pay” and U.S. casualties were climbing at an alarming rate toward the 58,220 number  that it would become in 1975 after the fall of Saigon. By that time, the U.S. had been indirectly involved (by sending Army Advisors) since 1945. 

The drama part of HELLBENDER entails the trials of two Army Special Forces Ranger Officers who are fighting battles on two separate fronts – there in Vietnam and back on the domestic front with their women. Much of HELLBENDER is centered around  the Battle of Khe Sanh, although other conflicts and the data from them is mentioned. 

There are many little known facts about the Vietnam War which were only made public after 1995 when the material was declassified by the Pentagon. The lives of interesting characters in HELLBENDER transform what could have been nothing more than a “gob” of boring details into a wonderful matrix of events where the reader never is quite sure which end is up and which character is going down.  The story is intended to enlighten readers about how Politicians manipulate the lives and deaths of their young citizens in order to feed their huge egos and desire for control. Ron enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1964, volunteered for Vietnam but was sent elsewhere. Four years of research enabled him to study the findings of other researchers, then meshing facts and fiction together during the fifth year into a Cajun recipe that will satisfy the taste buds of even the most discriminating reader. HELLBENDER is available through Amazon books, also available for Kindle, under the pen name Ron T. Shaw, and features larger than standard print. 

Ron is also interested in finding and Independent Producer to make HELLBENDER into a movie, so if you know any send them his way. 

Ron moved to Quepos  from  the north Georgia mountains earlier this year and is enjoying the laid-back lifestyle and  lovely scenery that Costa Rica provides, although as one might imagine, the transition is taking some time. He has been collecting material for a future book titled “CALDERON” (the cauldron) which will be another drama about life on the Pacific coast of Costa Rica. This book should be available for release in 2020 – after all, no need to rush – Right?