The Last Battle

Colonel Zahara “Zac” Madison is one of the Army’s top-ranking female officers in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. After three deployments and ten years of fighting, her luck runs out- her convoy is attacked, and she is injured by grenades and machine guns. After being forced into a disability retirement at 34 years old, Zac has no choice but to return to Tulsa, Oklahoma, where her grandfather left her property. Zac is now at a dead end in life: permanently injured, separated from the military, and too close to her small Arkansas hometown and her abusive, dysfunctional family. Zac’s battle scars have also produced post-traumatic stress disorder and uncontrollable anxiety. Soon, Zac finds that her mental stress is as bad as her physical wounds, and she is faced with the VA’s impenetrable bureaucracy at every turn. To make matters worse, Zac also learns of charges of treason against General Victor Rice. General Rice is a vocal critic of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but he is also a strong leader and was one of Zac’s first mentors. The knowledge that she will have to testify at General Rice’s trial only complicates Zac’s recovery. As her woes mount, Zac struggles to decide whether to plan her future- or whether to end her suffering once and for all.