Matt R Jardiniano

The Improbable Journey of Bayani Ramirez Matt R Jardiniano

Born in a small and secluded barrio in the Philippines, Bayani Ramirez spent his early years with no one to play with except his two mongrel dogs, Hitler and Aladdin, and a blackbird named Martin. It was a solitary existence. And yet, Bayani found life there idyllic and thrived in its peace and quiet. He had the run of the place and thoroughly relished his freedom in the unspoiled pastoral expanse that surrounded him. But as life evolved, he had to reluctantly leave all that behind to join the throng of other young Filipino men escaping an uncertain future in their native land. Now in the twilight of his years, he spends his days remembering a happy childhood in that bucolic place that no longer exist and reflecting on his experiences - some humorous and amusing, a few intense and exciting, others poignant and heartrending - during his life's journey to places far and wide first as an idealistic military cadet, then as a reluctant mariner in the United States Navy and finally as a medical officer in the Central Intelligence Agency.