Raised in the segregated South, Ezell Ware was determined to excel beyond the lines drawn by White power brokers.
"By Duty Bound" (NAL paperback, $14.95) is the story of how Ware overcame an impoverishedchildhoodto become the top recruit in his Marine training class. He was not the least bit daunted by military life and 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 an unlikely partner, forever.
At the height of the Vietnam War, Ware's helicopter was shot down by enemy fire. He 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 Ware on the road to becoming a general.
A memoir of heroism and humanity, "By Duty Bound," captures a critical chapter in American history through the eyes of one of its most remarkable witnesses.
