Scars and Stars – Dustin Stevens

A boy of just six years old, Austin Roberts found himself perpetually in the way at the post-funeral gathering of his great uncle Jack.  Frustrated and alone, he wandered out onto the front porch to find his great uncle Cat, Jack's brother, staring silently into the distance, an old photo album on his lap.  Oblivious to the world around them, the two begin an unlikely conversation and together embark on even unlikelier journey through the album.

Page by page, Cat imparts the story of the album to young Austin, using a series of seemingly mundane and unconnected objects to tell the story of the brothers Roberts from long ago.  From their humble beginnings as the sons of a single mother on the river bottoms of southern Ohio to they day the left home to serve in the Korean War.  On through the single night the spent in basic training to their harrowing escape at the Chosin Reservoir Massacre.  Finally through their capture, escape from a unmarked POW camp and ultimately to their return home.    

Side Commentary

This story, while obviously a work of fiction, features the most research and (I hope) historical accuracy of any other project I've undertaken.  The original idea was taken from my own great uncles, two of the most decorated veterans in
Ohio history, and nearly all of the scenes depicted within are tales taken from stories they'd shared over the years or snippets I picked up in conversations with other veterans.  I hope I was able to convey them with some amount of the
vigor that they did, and any shortcomings in doing so are mine and mine alone.