Decades after his father, Major Jack J. Wells, is killed in Vietnam, his youngest son James discovers hundreds of his letters spanning over two wars. The letters compel James to learn more about the father he lost as a child. And when he discovers the details of his father’s death are inexplicably classified, his journey for the truth begins.Through archival and field research across two continents, James learns about events that shaped his father's love for God, family, country, duty, and truth, as well as a CIA cover-up of his father’s death. As the details of a love story about moral injury, post-traumatic resilience, and the consequences of truth-telling evolve, a son connects with the man he barely knew, learning a new kind of love and faith as he inches closer to the truth.
","abstract_html":"<p>Decades after his father, Major Jack J. Wells, is killed in Vietnam, his youngest son James discovers hundreds of his letters spanning over two wars. The letters compel James to learn more about the father he lost as a child. And when he discovers the details of his father’s death are inexplicably classified, his journey for the truth begins.Through archival and field research across two continents, James learns about events that shaped his father's love for God, family, country, duty, and truth, as well as a CIA cover-up of his father’s death. As the details of a love story about moral injury, post-traumatic resilience, and the consequences of truth-telling evolve, a son connects with the man he barely knew, learning a new kind of love and faith as he inches closer to the truth.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Wells, James B"],"institution":"Eastern Kentucky University","degree_name":"Master of Fine Arts (MFA)","degree_level":"Master's","degree_discipline":"English and Theatre","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":[],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2022,"date_issued":"2022-01-01T08:00:00Z","date_published":"2022-01-01T08:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:00Z","subjects":["Classified","Conspiracy","Cover-up","Vietnam War","Whistleblowing","World War II","Fiction"],"languages":[],"rights":["Copyright 2022 James B Wells"],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/774","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Wells, James B"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["2052-08-08T07:00:00Z"]},{"key":"dc:publisher","label":"Institution","values":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"]},{"key":"dc:type","label":"Dc Type","values":["Master Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["English and Theatre"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Fine Arts (MFA)"]},{"key":"thesis:institution_name","label":"Thesis Institution Name","values":["Eastern Kentucky University"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Classified","Conspiracy","Cover-up","Vietnam War","Whistleblowing","World War II","Fiction"]}]},{"id":"language_rights","label":"Language and Rights","entries":[{"key":"dc:rights","label":"Dc Rights","values":["Copyright 2022 James B Wells"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/774"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Decades after his father, Major Jack J. Wells, is killed in Vietnam, his youngest son James discovers hundreds of his letters spanning over two wars. The letters compel James to learn more about the father he lost as a child. And when he discovers the details of his father’s death are inexplicably classified, his journey for the truth begins.Through archival and field research across two continents, James learns about events that shaped his father's love for God, family, country, duty, and truth, as well as a CIA cover-up of his father’s death. As the details of a love story about moral injury, post-traumatic resilience, and the consequences of truth-telling evolve, a son connects with the man he barely knew, learning a new kind of love and faith as he inches closer to the truth.
"]},{"key":"dc:format","label":"Dc Format","values":["application/PDF"]},{"key":"dc:source","label":"Dc Source","values":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["BECAUSE: A Son’s Odyssey to Expose a CIA Coverup and Find the Father He Never Knew"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:creator":["Wells, James B"],"dc:date.available":["2052-08-08T07:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Decades after his father, Major Jack J. Wells, is killed in Vietnam, his youngest son James discovers hundreds of his letters spanning over two wars. The letters compel James to learn more about the father he lost as a child. And when he discovers the details of his father’s death are inexplicably classified, his journey for the truth begins.Through archival and field research across two continents, James learns about events that shaped his father's love for God, family, country, duty, and truth, as well as a CIA cover-up of his father’s death. As the details of a love story about moral injury, post-traumatic resilience, and the consequences of truth-telling evolve, a son connects with the man he barely knew, learning a new kind of love and faith as he inches closer to the truth.
"],"dc:format":["application/PDF"],"dc:identifier":["https://encompass.eku.edu/etd/774"],"dc:publisher":["Encompass Digital Archive, Eastern Kentucky University"],"dc:rights":["Copyright 2022 James B Wells"],"dc:source":["Encompass Digital Archive: Online Theses and Dissertations"],"dc:subject":["Classified","Conspiracy","Cover-up","Vietnam War","Whistleblowing","World War II","Fiction"],"dc:title":["BECAUSE: A Son’s Odyssey to Expose a CIA Coverup and Find the Father He Never Knew"],"dc:type":["Master Thesis"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["English and Theatre"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Fine Arts (MFA)"],"thesis:institution_name":["Eastern Kentucky University"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:16:00Z"}