A Dove Among Eagles: How the Sister of One Paratrooper Changed the Lives of Tens of Thousands in Vietnam and Beyond

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San Mateo, California, 1968: Linda Patterson, then 26 years old, was coming out of a traumatic series of events when she received a letter from her 18-year-old brother, Joe ... a cry for help from a paratrooper caught in the middle of an unpopular war. News of the antiwar protests were plummeting the morale of Joe's combat company of 130 paratroopers. In desperation, he turned to her to find a way to let these young, courageous soldiers know that they had not been rejected by the country they loved. Specifically, Joe asked Linda to enlist the city of San Mateo to "adopt" the 130 paratroopers of his combat company. On March 4, 1968, after Linda's dogged persistence, San Mateo formally adopted A Company, 1st Battalion, 327the Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, the troop also referred to as the "Screaming Eagles." San Mateo was the only city in the nation to do such a thing during the Vietnam War. Three weeks later, SGT Artavia was killed in a firefight. Grief-stricken and distraught by the loss of her brother, Linda garnered her strength and passion to carry on with Joe's last wishes. What she did next was beyond imagination and straight from the heart. She got on an airplane and headed to Vietnam. In December 1968 -- without government authorization and with only her grit to guide her -- Linda traveled to Vietnam to spend Christmas with her brother's unit. Her journey was life-changing. But it didn't end in Vietnam. Linda would go on to marry her escort LT Steve Patterson, to establish a troop-support nonprofit called America Supporting Americans, and to serve the military in remarkable and meaningful ways for more than 50 years. For her life's work, she has been recognized and honored by the highest levels of our country. Those original men of the 1968 unit simply call her "Sis."