He survived World War II, lost a leg in Korea, and rose to Brigadier General in the United States Air Force. But in 1972, as Operation Linebacker II unleashes the most intense air campaign of the Vietnam War, Bob Fleigalman faces his greatest test yet—not in the skies, but in the corridors of command.

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His son, newly minted fighter pilot Robert F. Fleigalman, Jr., is headed straight into the firestorm over Hanoi. As the bombing escalates and the stakes soar, Bob Sr. must navigate the razor’s edge between duty and family, knowing that every order he gives could send his own son—and countless others—into harm’s way. When Junior’s mission goes down behind enemy lines, the father who once survived as a POW must decide how far he’ll go to save his son—without sacrificing his honor, or the men under his command.

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From the crucible of two wars and the divided loyalties of a military dynasty, Line of Descent weaves a gripping tale of courage, sacrifice, and the bonds that tie fathers and sons, even across the no-man’s-land of war. Will duty prevail, or will blood prove thicker than orders? The answer awaits in the most harrowing days of the Vietnam conflict.