Nothing can stay hidden forever.
In 1968, Linda sat next to a handsome sailor in the Penn State cafeteria. Who could resist a handsome sailor? Not Linda, who fell head over heels in love. They married, had a baby - then two more. Bud, who had served two tours in Vietnam before they met, was promoted to the Navy officer position of his dreams.
Their perfect life as a Navy family unfolded despite Bud’s experiencing symptoms that frightened Linda....and Bud himself. A sudden collapse led to a diagnosis that seemed unreal for a vital young man.
While Linda raised their children and followed her vows to take care of her husband, two questions continued to plague her:
How could Bud who was otherwise so healthy suddenly have such a sinister cancer? And how could his beloved Navy abandon Bud when he was no longer of any use to them?
Linda couldn't let those questions go, and spent decades trying to find out what really happened to the love of her life, Bud. At every opportunity, Linda supported and engaged with her fellow military spouses, building an unbreakable sisterhood. Still, there was so much unsaid: the military that Bud had pledged his loyalty to discarded him when he got sick, and hid the truth about his illness for decades.
Tainted Seas is the sometimes hilarious, sometimes heart-breaking story of a passionate couple, their young family coping with tragedy and the continuing journey of a woman dedicated to ensuring justice for military families whose lives have been shattered by the very institutions they nobly served. It will remind you that true love exists, and truth exists, and nothing can stay hidden forever - even with the power of the US government - when faced with a loving wife on a mission.
Linda Jo Heffner has been a science, mathematics, and computer science teacher. She also paints, sculpts, and writes. She holds a B.S. degree from Pennsylvania State University, a Masters’ degree from Kutztown University, and thirty-two post-graduate credits.
A widowed mother of three at age thirty, Heffner only recently discovered the truth behind her husband’s early death. Now she wonders how the U.S. military can abandon the soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who served their country in time of war. Through her books*, YouTube channel and speaking engagements, Linda articulates a fervent plea for justice for military members and their families who have been shattered—in ways seen and unseen—by wars, both past and present.
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