“Powerful and deeply moving, this is a war story like no other. If the first duty of every citizen is to remember, Unwavering will remind us of those captured or missing in Vietnam, and the remarkable women who kept faith with them for more than half a century.”

—Rick Atkinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of An Army at Dawn and The Long Gray Line 

“This is a brilliantly written, beautifully emotive, and utterly accurate portrait of the families left behind during America’s long war in Vietnam. It reads like a suspenseful work of fiction, and tugs at the heart—but is also full of rock-solid policy recommendations.” 

—Adm. James Stavridis, (Ret.) former NATO Supreme Allied Commander and author of To Risk It All: Nine Conflicts and the Crucible of Decision

“A cinematic recounting of how the wives of POW/MIAs during the Vietnam War compelled U.S. policy changes, forced tradition-bound military services to adapt, and ultimately, inspired other countries to seek answers to their missing loved ones. A beautifully written and enthralling story that amply displays these ladies’ courage and strength.”

—Dr. George J. Veith, author of Drawn Swords in a Distant Land: South Vietnam’s Shattered Dreams

“With a brisk economy and verve, Taylor Kiland and Judy Gray tell a little-known story of love and devotion that deserves our attention and admiration. Unwavering: The Wives Who Fought to Ensure No Man Is Left Behind is a tremendously moving account of the wives of American POWs and MIAs, whose advocacy for their husbands was unflagging, inspiring, and effective. Their actions bulldozed military and civilian bureaucracies into making their loved ones' treatment and return home with honor a national priority. For the courage and faithfulness they exhibited toward that end, they, like their husbands, deserve to be remembered as American heroes.” 

—Mark Salter, former chief of staff and coauthor for Sen. John McCain

“Taylor Kiland and Judy Gray have chronicled—as no one else has—the dramatic, heart-rending saga of a small band of unlikely heroines who came to reshape U.S. foreign policy. While very diverse in backgrounds and personalities, they united around the common cause and soon learned how to call public attention to the plight of their men, and to bring pressure to bear on the government to take action. I witnessed firsthand their impact when I served as Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency in the early 1990s. This is a compelling, enlightening, and readable narrative of how these courageous crusaders forged a new benchmark for U.S. policy on POW/MIAs.”

—Lt. Gen. James Clapper, U.S. Air Force (Ret.) and former Director of National Intelligence

“A heartbreaking, compelling story of a group of courageous military wives forced by circumstance to simultaneously confront a staid military culture and an indifferent political bureaucracy to create transparency and find the truth about their missing and captured husbands. In doing so, they created the art of the possible where military leaders and politicians had failed. More importantly, they established a new standard of care and responsibility for our military forces that operate in harm’s way. As a nation we should all be grateful.”

—Adm. Thad Allen, U.S. Coast Guard (Ret.), Commandant, US Coast Guard (2006-2010), James Tyler Distinguished Leadership Chair, James Loy Institute for Leadership, USCG Academy (2014-2021)

"Those of us who served in the military know well the story of the unbelievable survival of our Vietnam POWs, but what many of us do not know is the role their wives played in making their safe return the cause that rallied our nation like none other during the Vietnam War. Authors Kiland and Gray, both veterans themselves, have dug deep to showcase how these women fought for their husbands and ended up changing America's foreign policy. Hats off to this group of unsung heroines of the Vietnam War."

—Christopher Michel, Founder Military.com

“Unwavering tells the essential, overlooked story of how Vietnam upended the world of the women back home—and how they, in turn, tossed the rulebook for dutiful military wives and transformed U.S. foreign policy with a single-minded campaign to save their missing husbands. A vivid and urgent book brimming with original reporting, it breaks your heart while it inspires.”

—Amy Argetsinger, Washington Post editor and author of There She Was: The Secret History of Miss America

“Of all the horrors of war, becoming a prisoner of an enemy you have just tried to kill is perhaps the worst. Prisoners of war have generally not fared well during their captivity. No one is more at the mercy of an adversary than the prisoner of war, not even the incarcerated common criminal of a society. 

Every war produces prisoners. The Vietnam War was unique, because for the first time, prisoners became political hostages. Unwavering: The Wives Who Fought to Ensure No Man is Left Behind tells the compelling story of how the wives of the over 1,500 U.S. servicemen held captive in Vietnam fought tenaciously to have these men returned with honor. This is a groundbreaking book that will touch you in so many ways.”

—Captain George Galdorisi, USN (Ret.) New York Times bestselling author of Tom Clancy’s Op-Center Into The Fire

"Kiland and Gray compellingly tell the tale of true American heroes: the wives of our Vietnam POWs. It is a story of sheer will, determination, and love. It reads like a novel of twists and turns but is real. Their heroic efforts influenced a nation to do the right thing: leave no one who sacrifices for our country behind."

—Vice Admiral Cutler Dawson, USN (Ret.), author of From the Sea to the C-Suite: Lessons Learned from the Bridge to the Corner Office

“In conjunction with the 50th anniversary of the return of U.S. POWs from North Viet Nam comes this beautifully written tribute to their wives, who fought for their release—frequently with little apparent support from the government. Their husbands were heroes. But so were they!”

—Rear Admiral Tom Brooks, USN (Ret.), Viet Nam 1969-1970, POW-MIA Coordinator, DIA 1985, Director of Naval Intelligence 1988-1991

“Taylor Kiland and Judy Gray have written a must-read book for anyone interested in the plight of POWs and their families and lessons from the highly unpopular Vietnam War that must be learned and never forgotten. One of the most heart-wrenching parts of the Vietnam War was the atrocious way our POWs were treated, in direct violation of the Geneva Conventions. A lesser known, but equally as important, aspect are the heroic women and families back home who dealt with the uncertainty of their loved ones’ fates as they tried to get answers, raise public awareness, take care of their children and – at times – confront both their own government and the North Vietnamese to bring home our POWs and MIAs. As a Marine who fought in the Vietnam War, I have tremendous respect for the authors for bringing these riveting and long overdue stories to light. These women in challenging the entrenched status-quo were just as brave and selfless as were those on the actual battlefield.”

—Major General Arnold Punaro, USMC (Ret.), Platoon Commander, 1st Platoon, Lima Company, 3rd Bn, 7th Marines Vietnam

“Dozens of books describe the horrible treatment of our POWs held captive in Vietnam, but this one is told entirely from the perspective of the wives and families held in their own kind of prison, without information or government sanctioned recourse. 

Supported by one another, these spouses took action that built national awareness for those imprisoned and missing in action, and created policies and organizations that serve us still today.

Wives and family members of our Vietnam POWs and MIAs have served our nation as well as anyone in uniform, and this book shares the untold story of their gallantry, tenacity, and grace.”

—General Peter Pace, USMC (Ret.), 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

"Judy Silverstein Gray and Taylor Baldwin Kiland have produced a real treasure for those who followed the journey of our POWs. This critical link, from capture to release, is a deserved testimony to the women who were vital in this segment of the history of the Vietnam War. If there was ever a doubt in the power and resiliency of women, this book dispels that—forever! We need to be reminded of those days and the women who never quit."

—Loree Draude, author of She's Just Another Navy Pilot and one of the first women to fly combat jets in the Navy

"Unwavering provides a fascinating and well-researched story about the families of Vietnam War POWs and MIAs. When these families—primarily the wives—realized that government bureaucracy was not helping and even hurting their loved ones, they took matters into their own hands. In doing so, they ensured that the plight of POWs and MIAs remained in the public's eye both during and after the war and set in motion the U.S. commitment to leave no one behind, a quest that continues to this day.”

—Col. Eileen A. Bjorkman, U.S. Air Force (Ret.), author of Unforgotten in the Gulf of Tonkin: A Story of the U.S. Military's Commitment to Leave No One Behind

“Unwavering speaks directly to the great tradition of military spouses advocating for change. Thank you to Taylor Kiland and Judy Gray for sharing the stories of these courageous trailblazers who, determined to bring their POW/MIA husbands home from Vietnam, found themselves in the position of accidental advocates as they set out to remove all the barriers and affect the necessary policy changes. Their persistence and steadfast commitment should serve as an inspiration to all of us.”

—Sue Hoppin, Founder & CEO of The National Military Spouse Network 

“Unwavering is a meticulous accounting of determination and sacrifice exposed by the wives and families who fought for information and truth about Vietnam’s imprisonment of American POW/MIAs. 

While serving in Vietnam, I knew that not so far away from our hospitals, U.S. prisoners of war were being tortured, suffering and dying. Finally, there is a book like no other telling the story of those who never gave up in bringing attention to their loved ones, rallying our nation to bring them home. Confronting the United States government official’s rejection, denial, cover-up and facing the overwhelming odds of getting to the truth about those men held captive in North Vietnam seamed insurmountable. The authors’ extraordinary research uncovers historical events about the Vietnam War that many Americans never knew or have easily forgotten. The captivating telling of the resolve of the families, through failures and triumphs, are woven from beginning to end revealing their perseverance and resilience with ultimate success in convincing our government officials to make this national tragedy a priority. Written like a novel filled with betrayal and deceit, this book is a page turner spotlighting the untold story of courageous women, and men, whose persistence overcame resistance. The plight of our POW/MIAs and those who fought for their return is recorded and firmly placed inside the American conscience once and for all. The legacy of their hard-won battle is in long-term foreign policy changes defending our missing men and women.” 

—Captain Diane Carlson Evans, U.S. Army Nurse Corps, Vietnam, 1968-1969, Founder and President Vietnam Women’s Memorial

"....This methodical telling of deceit and disregard for the lives of American service men by their own government is a shameful history. Unwavering raises questions about the responsibility of government that is owed to the service members they send into combat and to the families who are left to cope at home. Since Vietnam, the United States has not been confronted with large numbers of POWs and MIAs and their families. How is our government to be held accountable for our service members today? For this extremely well-researched and accurate account, this book earns a prestigious four out of four trench coats."

—Monica Kuhlmann Ferrara, www.thecipherbrief.com