Cross in the Background

From "Daddy" to "Father" to "Dad"

The touching story of William "Cricket" Horsak-a high school football superstar who went from the football field to the battle field, finding himself thrust into the carnage of the Battle of Okinawa. He survived the horror and tragedy of war, only to continue fighting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) for the rest of his life.

This is the touching story of a man's battles both from without and from within. It is the story of how William's son endured the trauma of a war long finished. And it is the story of how William's internal war was finally won by God.

Randy Horsak is a consulting engineer -scientist in Houston, Texas who specializes in forensic investigations. It was his penchant for investigating the "what happened, and why" that lead to the writing of this book.

Aside from studying Psychology 101 at the University of Texas in 1971, he has no formal training in psychology or psychiatry.

Aside from firing rifles and pistols, and popping firecrackers, he has no formal training in combat or military weaponry. He has never served in the military. Neither has he experienced 82 days of combat on a God-forsaken island called Okinawa, in one of the bloodiest battles in American history, in which you must live a life of "kill or be killed."

He has, however, spent almost 60 years living in the midst of a family that has been impacted by a father who suffered severely from combat-related PTSD-Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

Writing this book is Randy's time to heal.