Bob Inama: Our First Meeting

 Today I met Bob Inama. Our first conversation was March 19, 2020 over a Skype video call. After a few technical difficulties, we were able to finally speak in a meeting with Bob, his wife Diane, and Shadow Mountain director, Chris Schoebinger. In this first initial meeting, Bob told us about his experiences working undercover for the US Army in the early 1960s in Soviet-occupied East Germany. He was eventually betrayed by an East German and arrested. The story that unfolded is not what you might expect. Yes, he was imprisoned. Yes, he was beaten daily. Yes, he was traumatized. But Bob's light never dimmed. He left behind his shackles and the depths of a tiny cell and built a life of hope, love, and family. Over the past several months, Covid-19 kept any chance at meeting slim since we live in different states. Since March 19, up until this past week, I've been working on Bob's story so that more people can read and be inspired by a life well lived. If all goes well with my publisher and the production, the book will be available Fall 2021. But right now, my heart is full for having met this man in person. At last.