Amid 150,000 people, the author re-meets an old schoolmate at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Dedication in Washington, DC, and what unfolds is a love story between two unlikely people; Mike, a veteran of 173 rd Airborne Brigade and Ranger medic / LRRP , haunted by his time in service, and Martha , a successful NYC entrepreneur and designer with a client list of fashion superstars . Through their 3003-day journey, Martha eloquently describes their effort to recover Mike's "lost" self as he is diagnosed with PTSD , as well as her own recovery after the loss of their child, poisoned by Agent Orange . Now, Martha's clients are dying of AIDS . Martha tells the story partly through Mike's letters , from the early romantic stages, and after the couple is married when Mike re-ups in t he USArmy . Through their letters, it becomes both of their stories, A Double Memoir, true story.