In Hard Way Home, Dennis Wesley Clark weaves a powerful story, a true page-turner. The Vietnam War was over. Some soldiers were left behind-confirmed by live sightings. The pressure for their return was augmented with threats. But, the threats had unintended consequences . . . the enemy devised a plan to ensure none were ever found. As the purge was being executed, thirteen Americans POWs and MIAs learned of the plan. They divided into three escape plans: escape out to sea, escape to Thailand, and an arduous overland journey. In the last plan, their arrival was an utter surprise to Washington. Knowledge of their arrival would derail proposed national agendas. A compromise plan was developed and quickly spun out of control. The betrayal was cleverly reversed. In the end, each man comes to terms with a life left behind. The bittersweet choices wrench at the heart. This fact-based fiction novel leaves the reader questioning what is real, what is fiction, and what is possible.