Charleston, SC, April 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Palmetto Publishing has released A Young Man, a debut novel by U.S. Air Force veteran and retired engineer Bernard Cuddy. This work of historical fiction is set during the Vietnam War and follows one young man’s journey from a promising college life through the devastation of combat and the long road to rebuilding his future.
In the spring of 1966, Mike Lonegan is a Dean’s List engineering student at Penn State with a gift for physics, math, and baseball. A standout pitcher drawing attention from major league scouts, he appears destined for a bright future. But when his draft notice arrives during his freshman year, Mike makes a life-altering decision: he answers the call to serve.
Deployed to Vietnam, Mike operates a Caterpillar D7E bulldozer, clearing jungle under brutal conditions while enduring the constant threat of mortar fire. The war takes a devastating toll when he suffers a catastrophic injury to his right arm, ending his pitching career and the dreams tied to it. Returning home physically and emotionally wounded, he faces an uncertain future and the challenge of redefining his life.
Refusing to surrender, Mike begins the painstaking process of teaching himself to pitch left-handed. Through perseverance, unexpected love, and the support of the two catchers in his life, and those around him— including a close friendship with Johnnie Williams, a sharp-witted boxer from the Bronx—he fights to reclaim both his identity and his future.
“I wrote this book to honor the young men who answered the call and came home to a country that didn’t always welcome them back,” Cuddy said. “Mike is not one person. He represents every small-town kid who gave up what he loved because he believed in something bigger than himself. I hope readers come away knowing that no wound—physical or otherwise—has to define a person’s life.”
Blending military fiction with the spirit of classic American baseball stories, A Young Man explores themes of sacrifice, resilience, and redemption. Readers who appreciate the character-driven storytelling of Pat Conroy, the realism of James Webb’s Fields of Fire, or the emotional depth of Mark Harris’s Bang the Drum Slowly will find much to connect with. Drawing on his own military service and working-class roots, Cuddy brings authenticity and emotional depth to this powerful narrative.
A Young Man is available for purchase online at Amazon.com and BarnesandNoble.com.
About the Author: Bernard Cuddy is a U.S. Air Force veteran and retired RF/microwave design engineer whose career included decades of innovation and three U.S. patents. A native of southeastern Pennsylvania, he served four years in the Air Force, including a year stationed in northern Greenland, before earning a BS in electrical engineering from Penn State while working part time construction jobs to support himself. His debut novel, A Young Man, reflects themes of service, sacrifice, resilience, and a lifelong love of baseball, drawing on his firsthand experience of military life and perseverance. Beyond his professional career, Cuddy is a nine-time marathon finisher, skier, cyclist, fly fisherman, and former Little League coach. He lives with his wife, Brenda, and their family.
Available for interviews: Author, Bernard Cuddy
