Once We Pledged Forever: A Novel of Combat, Marines and the War Within

by Ivan F. Ingraham

Once We Pledged Forever is a novel of combat, Marines, and the war within, all based on actual events that occurred during and after the author’s twenty-four-year career as a Marine Special Operations (MARSOC) Officer.

With intimacy of a memoir and the gritty verisimilitude of historical fiction, Once We Pledged Forever is a military adventure tale of betrayal and revenge, the ethical uncertainties of war, and the lifelong consequences of actions taken both under fire and within the military chain of command.

Twenty-five years after serving in Afghanistan, Steve Keller comes home to his cabin in the woods after hunting one day to find the ghost of his former commanding officer, Major Roland Joyce, killed on a mission twenty-two years earlier. Joyce helps Keller confront the demons of his past and reconcile the outcome of decisions he made while commanding men on the battlefield. Through flashbacks, Keller reviews his life and career, and ultimately his choice to abandon his moral compass and embark on a quest to destroy the Taliban commander responsible for killing Joyce.

474 pages, Kindle Edition

Published July 16, 2025