Rick Wallenbrock

The Freedom House Rick Wallenbrock

During the tail end of the Vietnam War, the US Army Europe, faced with a large drug problem among soldiers stationed in Germany, opens the Freedom House, a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center. A group of unforgettable characters are chosen to administer an unorthodox program laced with Zen Buddhism, Taoism and an enigmatic teacher, Duane Baldini, an ex-Marine. Duane brings Christopher Bold on board, a confused college graduate who is trying to find his own way against the legacy and the background of the turbulent and revolutionary period of the late sixties. Christopher is confronted by the universal struggle with dualities-the mind vs. the body, the head vs. the heart, "them" vs. "us" in his attempt to find the road to himself. He also is confronted by First Sgt. Ron Slade, a career Army man, whose "real" world experience clashes with the "new age" teaching and antics of both Duane and Christopher. The result is a story that is funny, poignant, and fascinating in its portrayal of a young man on a journey to find himself against the tragedy of war, strife, a torn nation and the comedy of a M. A. S. H.-like military environment.