Introduction

The whistle blew, but the hit came a second later-a sickening crunch that echoed across the field.

I watched my son, Caleb, collapse, his dreams of a football scholarship shattering with his knee.

Ryan Blakely, the star linebacker from the town' s wealthiest, most powerful family, stood over him, flexing, a sneer on his face.

Then his father, Mr. Blakely, offered me a paltry sum to sign an NDA, dismissing the career-ending injury as an "in-game accident," outright threatening my livelihood if I didn't comply, all while the corrupt sheriff and coach turned a blind eye.

I saw my son's spirit break as he was mocked on crutches, and I realized nobody would help; the system was rigged.

But then, I remembered a promise, a fading beacon in the dark: a general, Maria' s commanding officer, who once told me, "We don't leave our own behind," after handing me my Medal of Honor wife' s medal.

With nothing left to lose, I clutched that medal and drove toward a military base, hoping a general's word still meant something.