Acknowledgments

he idea for the Pulp History series came to my sister, the talented and effervescent Margaret Talbot, and me during the cocktail hour in a midtown Manhattan restaurant—that magic hour when so many schemes and dreams take wing. This was the lightbulb that suddenly clicked over our heads: we would find a way to bring untold history stories to life, working with comics artists, illustrators and designers to fully exploit the lush possibilities of the printed page. As writers, we wanted the words to play a more important role than they do in graphic novels. But by adding a visual dimension to our true stories—and portraying history in all its terrible and beautiful glory—we thought we could make the past shine through the shadows for a new generation of readers.

The next day, our brainstorm still seemed to make sense. So we promptly took the idea to Simon & Schuster, where an entirely sober David Rosenthal and Priscilla Painton gave it an enthusiastic welcome. Priscilla has long been an ardent supporter of all things Talbot, and we both return her ardor in full.

Margaret and I owe David, Priscilla and their Simon & Schuster team—especially Devil Dog “point man” Michael Szczerban—our deepest thanks for helping make our bubbly dream come true.

We must also single out our Talbot Players colleague, the indispensable Karen Croft, who acted as “executive producer” on Devil Dog, marshaling the resources of our fledgling media company, keeping her gimlet eye on budgets and deadlines and, most important, helping maintain the highest creative standards.

We must also sing the praises of our designer, Norma Tennis, who gave the book its unique look and feel and whose vision and artistry are stamped on every page. Norma has the gifts of a fine artist, and—fortunately for us—the temperament of a saint, meeting every design challenge we hurled her way with cheerful equanimity.

We are indebted to Edith Wehle, the granddaughter of Smedley Darlington Butler, for opening the Butler family home to us and granting us access to memorabilia and personal correspondence, including Butler’s courtship letters to his future wife, Ethel Conway Peters. Edith is a vigilant keeper of the Butler flame, and our path toward understanding Butler was greatly smoothed by her generosity.

My wife, Camille Peri, stands at the wild heart of everything I do. She is the first person subjected to my Mr. Toad–like manias, and is always a source of wise and loving counsel. She was the first to read Devil Dog in its entirety and, as always, brought her finely tuned skills as a writer and editor to the task.

Research assistance was provided by the staffs of the Alfred M. Gray Research Center at the Quantico Marine Base Library, the Free Library of Philadelphia and the National Archives and Records Administration, as well as by Cliff Callahan and Susan Strange.

Finally, I must give a big bear hug to my Devil Dog collaborator, the legendary Manuel “Spain” Rodriguez, one of the great masters of modern comix. Spain—who brings an infectious, boyish glee to everything he does—made this one of the most fun professional escapades of my life. Spain’s deep and always surprising knowledge of history, in all its infinite weirdness, and his love of great unsung heroes like Smedley Butler made him the perfect companion on this journey into the past.

 

To those who fight in America’s wars,
and to those who question why
we constantly fight them