For some soldiers, the war never ends until they take matters into their own hands. Shell of a Man is told through conversations between Vietnam veteran Robert L and his female psychiatrist. Their developing relationship becomes a lifeline for a man teetering on the edge. Each session is a journey into the past and provides hope for the future. Unfortunately, the past has had a long time to dig its claws into Robert’s psyche. The future never really stood a chance.

Robert L tasted the prejudice of a Southern upbringing. He was conceived without love to a 16 year-old-girl and given away to foster parents. He picked his first bag of cotton at the age of two. He joined the Army and was sent to Vietnam. Robert witnessed and took part in actions no human being should have to experience. He became hard. He lost faith. He saw death and wished to die. When Robert came home, he was different and so was the country of his birth. While he succeeded in his professional life, his personal life spiraled out of control until the past and the present blended into a nightmare from which he couldn’t escape. Then, a woman and a child gave him back a reason to live. He became a husband, a father, a law enforcement officer, a union president and a janitor. He gave his heart to a woman, his soul to his child, dedication to his country and loyalty to his employers. They gave little in return. Robert L is smart, funny, kind, loving and scared. He is alone in a roomful of people. He has known some joy but the memory is lost to depression. He has tasted the cold steel barrel of a gun and chosen not to swallow a bullet. He has been imprisoned in his own mind for years. He has survived but at what cost. Robert is a real person. He is one man. He is many men.