The Last Man To Die

War is murder in self-defense, the harsh lesson that James Jedidiah "Jed" Martin learns as he is reluctantly drafted into the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) in World War One. He and his best friend, Mike O'Kean, a semi-pro boxer, gambler, and adventure seeker, depart to basic training and service in the American Army in France in 1918. Jed must carry on as his harsh, authoritarian uncle, who has raised the orphan Jed, is replaced by the alcoholic, degenerate section sergeant, Leo Brock, who challenges Jed's courage. Eventually, there must be a show down between Jed and Brock. Through the travails of war Jed loses all he loves and all he hates leaving him an empty vessel he tries to fill with alcohol. In all of that, there is a family secret that Jed suspects and seeks to uncover.