A Code to Keep: The True Story of America's Longest-Held Civilian POW in Vietnam

This is the true story of a man's lonely triumph over adversity. Ernest C. Brace was a decorated Marine pilot, the first to fly one hundred missions in the Korean War. A little more than five years later, however, a fateful accident and a hastily made decision stripped him of his rank, and he was dishonorably discharged from the Marines.Vowing to regain his lost honor, he flew secret supply missions to Laos as part of a C.I.A. operation during the Vietnam War. Captured in a surprise attack by the Pathet Lao, Brace was imprisoned and brought to an isolated outpost in North Vietnam, where he was confined in a bamboo cage, his head, hands, and feet bound. Though a civilian, he made it a point to live by the Military Code of Conduct: he resisted the enemy whenever he could, and attempted escape three times. But each run for freedom only led to crueler torments upon capture.In this extraordinary memoir of courage, sacrifice, and the will to survive, Ernie Brace recounts his experiences in a way that is stirring, inspiring, and memorable. A CODE TO KEEP is destined to stand out as one of the key documents of America's involvement in Vietnam.

Ernest C. Brace was America's longest-held civilian prisoner of war in Vietnam. After his release in 1973, he went to work for Evergreen International as its VP of Operations. In 1978, he joined Sikorsky Aircraft Co. and became its Director of International Operations. Ernie is now retired and lives with his wife in Klamath Falls, OR.