American patriot - Robert Coram

During the course of his military career, Bud Day won every available combat medal, escaped death on no less than seven occasions, and spent sixty-seven months as a POW in the infamous Hanoi Hilton, where his roommate was John McCain. Despite incredible torture, Day would not break. He became a hero to POWs everywhere - a man who fought without pause, a prisoner at war.

Despite receiving the Medal of Honour and becoming the most highly decorated American in uniform, Day found himself passed over for promotion to Brigadier General, and he retired. But with his children grown and a lifetime of service to his country behind him, he engaged in his mightiest - and most surprising - battle of all. One day in 1995, Day was told by his pharmacist that his pain medication would no longer be free. He was furious and shocked; after all, he and his generation of veterans were promised free lifetime medical care when they signed on with the military. Propelled by his conscience and sense of duty, he dusted off his law degree and sued the U.S. government on behalf of 1.5 million powerless veterans.