Cynthia Byrd Conner

Tired of living by Jim Crow laws in the southern state of Mississippi, teenager Sherman Byrd wants nothing more than to discover God's purpose for his life. The youngest son of sharecroppers, determined to walk by faith and not by sight, Byrd's journey leads him down a path where he becomes a pioneer in one of the most dangerous jobs known to mankind. A silent oath. A vow unspoken. Explosive ordnance disposal divers do not tell war stories. But the truth cannot stay buried. The life story of Master Chief Boatswain's Mate Sherman Byrd, the first African American Explosive Ordnance Disposal Diver in the United States Navy, is as honest as it is fascinating.