Code of Conduct

Writing with Schreiner ( Mayday! Mayday! ), former Navy pilot Alvarez reports on his 1973 return to the U . S . after eight years in a North Vietnamese prison camp. The same patriotism and sense of duty that informed Chained Eagle , his account of his POW experience, is evident here as he observes the division in this country between those who supported and opposed the war and poignantly reports on ``a time of troubles'' closer to home. Alvarez's wife divorced him while he was away, his sister joined the peace movement and he became politically separated from his staunchly Democratic family as his military and POW experiences transformed him into a conservative who would vote for Ronald Reagan in 1980 and serve his administration in Veteran Affairs before setting up as a business consultant in 1987. While noting that ``my own healing has not been complete,'' Alvarez exhibits a refreshing optimism that makes this book a pleasure to read. (Dec.)