Chuck Herson

Interpreting Jihad Chuck Herson

Scott Torrance's job as an Arab interpreter at the Pentagon, and his marriage, have both become predictable. It's not that he doesn't appreciate his job, or love wife, it's just that the job is routine, and after twenty-five years the marriage become more caring than passionate. But after doing a routine interpretation for Naval Intelligence he gets pulled into an undercover operation seeking out terrorists where he pretends to be the terrorist, Omar Malik. Having never been undercover he overcomes crushing anxiety and fear during repeated meetings and prayers with the radicals to gain their trust. He experiences a team member being shot and killed. While on the mission his Southern-Baptist wife, Jenny, finds out that his son is gay and goes on a crusade to find conversion-therapy. She meets a representative from one of the organizations and has an affair. Scott discovers the affair when he is home on a one-night furlough from the mission, confronts Jenny, threatens divorce and moves into a motel. The next day Scott is called to a meeting with the terrorists after they have discovered his real identity. They beat him severely and plan to load the video of his beheading onto their website as a warning to anyone else that might betray jihad. Scott's courtroom testimony and newly-found courage helps bring the killers to justice and reunite his family.