RESEARCH FOR THIS BOOK could not have been done without the assistance of many talented and generous people. The staff of the Marine Corps Archives, particularly J. Michael Miller, James Ginther and Patricia Mullin were tremendously helpful, not only in locating documents but also in suggesting additional avenues of research. Trevor Plante at the National Archives was able to find information that proved vital to this research. Gary A. LaValley, Archivist at Nimitz Library at the United States Naval Academy, and Kenneth Hickman, Curator of the USS Constellation Museum also helped me gain insight into the early careers of several of the men discussed in this book. Lieutenant Colonel W.R. Waller II was exceptionally helpful in my research on his grandfather, and our conversations were one of the highlights of this project.
I also owe much gratitude to April Snider, Krista Sprecher and Martin Gordon at Scarecrow Press, who have eased me through the actual production of the book. Finally Rose Cipriano, John Venzon and Elizabeth Venzon, have given new meaning to the word “patience” as they’ve proofread endless drafts and talked me through countless self-inflicted computer glitches. The book wouldn’t have been done without them.