While on a dangerous sweep through Chinatown, Paul, a San Francisco cop, flashes back to his days in Vietnam after a bullet rings against the tattered brick walls of a known gang hideout. The sound of choppers is deafening while men are screaming death's agony. Fresh blood trickles slowly across the sidewalk and an innocent girl's life fades from reality. Three thousand miles away Paul's soulmate Victoria has the feeling that something has gone terribly wrong and waits nervously by her computer for word that he is safe. Tears fall silently down Victoria's cheeks because the man she loves never logs-on and her stomach cringes with fear. Based on real life people, From Metal to Flesh is a novel about Paul San Felize, a 48-year-old SWAT Team lieutenant, who wears life's challenges like a suit of armor. After a heartbreaking childhood dominated by an abusive mother, Paul escapes the street-life of a gang member to join the military. As the Vietnam conflict begins to escalate, this determined, strong-willed man trains to become a covert warrior in the most elite branch of all Special Forces - a Navy SEAL. When tragedy strikes, Paul finds himself in a life-long battle with his memories and the one thing he wants most in his life but cannot find. Several years after Vietnam, Paul uses his computer interests to help his SWAT Team track and arrest street criminals. But what he doesn't know is that this same piece of equipment will eventually provide the answer to his search and unlock the demons he thought had been buried forever. Growing up on a farm, Victoria Walker found the meaning of life through strong morals and deeply embedded values. Stemming from hard work and the love and support of her family, Victoria established deep roots in the tradition of a Southern culture. As graceful as hoop skirts, yet as hard as the baked clay beneath her feet, this 38-year-old woman has her faith, courage, and strength tested many times. From a devastating riding accident, to the confines of an abusive husband, Victoria is now divorced, alone, and struggling to find at least one thing that would make her happy. Victoria suddenly finds a whole New World at the end of her fingertips in computers while attending college night classes. Living a quiet life, trying to recover from several disastrous years, this gentle but fiercely independent woman turns to the Internet for friends and a place to which she can escape the daily pain of life. Oblivious to where Fate was leading her, Victoria accidentally meets Paul on the computer and soon realizes that life for them both will never be the same again. Deep in the jungles of Vietnam the sound of choppers are faint in the distance yet growing with every heartbeat. "They're coming Chew... They'll be here any minute buddy... that's it... just hang on... just hang on...." Paul let out a blood-curdling scream..."Noooooooo...." then collapsed in a heap on the dark, City Street. Fog from the Bay enveloped him, but in his mind, Paul could only remember the steam that rose from that dreadful jungle floor. A constant struggle to keep reality and memories separate plagues the main character throughout his life until one day a soft southern woman walks into his world and changes everything. From Metal to Flesh unravels the intrigue and mystery Victoria holds for Paul, while day-by-day they both come to realize how important they are to each other. Just as it seems their lives will become one, this 129,209 word novel allows Paul's history to come back to haunt him once again. Victoria's struggle to save her own life, while trying to bring Paul back From Metal to Flesh, is just a breath away from reality. Within these pages, From Metal to Flesh tells the real-life story in novel form of a love affair destined to last an eternity and haunt both characters for the rest of their lives.