On a sentimental journey turned terrifying voyage, a determined group of veterans, all over 70 years-old, come together, joined by one shared common cause–the rescue of a U.S. Navy tank landing craft critical to the battles of WW II.
Their goal is to restore and preserve this antique vessel as a living history maritime museum to honor the thousands who served on her and the cause she served. Now renamed the Aeolus, their prize is rotting in a ship graveyard, half-way around the world. Bonded in a unique camaraderie, they claim their ship, encounter unexpected delays in Crete, Naples and Gibraltar then sail into a harrowing late season hurricane and North Atlantic winter storm.
These men and their ship are “coming home”, but not without adventure and misadventure, drama and tragedy, and even a touch of romance. Facing the inevitable challenges of aging, illness, loss and clashes of personalities, they now encounter their ultimate fight for survival. They are acutely aware of their vulnerability and limitations, alone in the middle of the North Atlantic.
A tribute to the devotion, loyalty and pure guts of what has been called the “greatest generation,” this story is also a salute to the determination of senior citizens everywhere.
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Reviews
In Coming Home: The Old Men and the Sea, thirty U.S. World War II veterans buy and sail a vintage LST from Greece to Alabama. It was a frightening, gutsy undertaking that registered nurse Michaele Lockhart has turned into an absorbing novel.
~ J.C. Martin, Special to the Arizona Daily StarA tribute to the devotion, loyalty, and pure guts of what has been called the “Greatest Generation,” this story is also a salute to the determination of senior citizens everywhere.
~ Trafford PublishingMichaele Lockhart writes in tones that evoke a stormy and cruel North Atlantic, contrasting with more softly tender scenes. In recreating this story, based on a true adventure, she examines the lives of several veterans, representative of Americans of their era. By touching on their histories she has covered the entire twentieth century, the encapsulation of its “hopes and fears,” from wars, to women’s rights, early immigrant experiences, integration, and forward to an enlightened promise for today’s seniors. Coming Home is the winding down of one century and the hint at new beginnings.
~ R. Hammond, author, poet, and playwrightJust finished Coming Home. Absolutely loved it and wished it would go on and on – any chance of a sequel?
~ O. Ryan, Tucson, Arizona
