By Duty Bound: Survival and Redemption in a Time of War

Raised in the segregated South, Ezell Ware was determined to excel beyond the lines drawn by white power brokers. He became the top recruit in his Marine training class; having grown up without running water, electricity, or sufficient food, he wasn’t daunted by military life. He eventually earned a chance to join the Army’s helicopter pilot program, realizing his dream of flying. It was a role that would change his life, and the life of an unlikely partner in valor at the height of the Vietnam War.

Downed by enemy fire while on a mission over thick jungles, Ware and his badly injured captain endured a three-week descent into hell, with one canteen and little defense against countless deadly forces. But when his captain revealed his membership in the Ku Klux Klan, their situation took a turn that surprised them both—and put Ezell on the road to becoming a general.

A unique memoir of heroism and humanity, By Duty Bound captures a crucial chapter in American history through the eyes of one of its most remarkable witnesses.