"Last Ute Cheif"
As a historic fiction novel, this book depicts the life of a Native American Ute, Boyd Barfoot, as he stuggles
with racism and the existence of God after making Army ranger and later being deployed to the Vietnam War. Derogatorily
referred to as "Cheif," Boyd earns the respect of all who come in contact with him. He also encounters his first love,
a Vietnamese girl - Mia Lee.
Woven within the chapters of this novel are the factual causes leading up to the Vietnam War. Attempting to
end Vietcong attacks of US troops near Saigon and the rescue of POW's in Cambodia are two of Boyd's spine-tingling
adventures. PFC Barfoot earns the Medal of Honor for heroism.
Sneak Peek
Sample
By 1:00 AM, even heavier rain, causing impossible visibility, forced the two
guards and the dog inside the tent where the dog had been tied.
How had two decades of life on this side of the grave come down to such hatred
of another human, Boyd considered of himself. I’m only nineteen years old and have already killed several
men. Will God forgive me?
Relentless rain persisted. No North Vietnamese soldier would be without shelter
during this horrendous, post-midnight condition, he prayed. How North Vietnamese officer Major Ming
Chee would die he had not yet determined, but death would be painful, and Chee would know why and who before
his merciless soul crossed the threshold into hell.
Leaving all but his pistol and knife under the munitions truck, Boyd crawled through
clay mire next to the length of the major’s tent. He focused attention on a flickering candle inside the
tent the guards and dog had entered. There was no movement from the tent’s occupants. Hopefully they would
rest or possibly sleep during the downpour.
Native American Ute were born with persistence, and the US Army had honed that
staying power. Tolerance for choosing an enemy’s weakest moment—no matter the wait—would ensure mission
success. And this mission—unfolding in the God-forsaken depths of Cambodia—was focused on ending the
reign of mankind’s most evil, the man known to South Vietnamese soldiers as the “Cobra.” He needed
to be dealt with before daybreak, and in a lasting manner that ended this man’s torture and executions of POWs.
The glorious thought of once again embracing his wife after returning home to the
Ogahew Reservation from the war restrained the chill of a night so drenching that even worms drown.
No matter the cause, no matter that it is an order of duty, taking a human life
will surely leave regrettable nightmares that not even time could possibly erase. If you allow me to kill
Chee, if I’m allowed to return safely to the Army base at Long An, never again will I kill any man of any
race for any reason, Boyd promised God. Not even if it cost me a dishonorable discharge.
My life had started so undemanding and carefree. How is it possible that a naïve
Native American boy grew to be such a proficient killer of men? Soaked to the bone, but determined on
measured patience, Boyd’s life passed before him in a dream. And there is nothing more powerful than the
power of a dream.