�America likes its heroes breathing.�
First Sergeant Mackenzie �Mack� Campbell receives a new recruit four months before the end of the Korean War. As the only survivor of a three-man patrol that destroys a heavily armed enemy position, Private Edward Michaels is recommended for and awarded the nation�s highest decoration for valor, the Medal of Honor.
Campbell has serious doubts as to whether Michaels deserves his medal, but before he can find out what really happened, a mortar attack sends Campbell to the hospital and Michaels back to the States. Four years later, Campbell is a captain at Fort Benning, Georgia. Michaels is at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, reaping the benefits of being a �hero�. When he learns that Michaels has transferred to Special Forces, Campbell convinces his mentor, Major General Harlan Lindsay, to help him get assigned as an advisor in prewar Vietnam where Michaels is stationed.
Campbell takes command of the unit, but before he can find the truth, another mortar attack forces the two adversaries to run for their lives�or die at the hands of the Viet Cong.
Will Campbell ever be able to quell his obsession for the truth?