ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. This sentiment is exhibited throughout In the Shadow of Greatness: Voices of Leadership, Sacrifice, and Service from America’s Longest War. Drawing on contributions from more than one hundred authors, advisers, friends, and family members, this book is a team endeavor.

The U.S. Naval Academy alumni and financial donors from the Class of 2002 involved in this project are too numerous to list, so to avoid leaving anyone out, we would simply like to express a collective and heartfelt thank you to all for their generosity and the time they spent on this group effort. We must, however, recognize a small number of folks by name.

Emmy Spencer Probasco, Logan Plaster, Bryce Holt, Barbara Welle, and Chip Crane sacrificed months to mentor untrained writers in the art of nonfiction. Some of our classmates submitted contributions that did not make it into the book. Their efforts are equally praiseworthy and can be found on the book’s website. Special appreciation goes to T Alford, Caroline Murtagh, Nick Huber, and Julia Floraday Wells, leaders in our class who advocated the project when others were skeptical. Another thank you goes to our dear friend Meg, our most constructive critic and detailed observer and now an honorary member of our class.

Rodney Cocks, Fred Kacher, and Jon Kirby, leaders in military and political affairs, advocated for this book among senior officials in government and business. Without their support, we would have fallen short. Special appreciation goes to a behind-the-scenes group of believers: Maj. Guy Berry, Claude Berube, Chris Brownfield, Capt. James Campbell, Rajiv Chandrasekaran, Angela Mikolajewski, Bill Murphy Jr., Charles Nolan, Gordon Peterson, Cdr. Tom Robertson, and Michael Zuckerman. Each of them provided motivation when the project could have lost steam. We would also like to acknowledge the Center for a New American Security for supporting the book and providing a forum to share our stories with the Washington, D.C., community.

The Naval Institute Press is a publisher that cares about its authors, not just their sales numbers on Amazon.com. Tom Cutler, director of Professional Publishing, fearlessly worked to meet a tight deadline, and his team—which included Susan Corrado, managing editor, and freelance copyeditor Robin Surratt—made it happen. We also received support from the institute’s talented marketing team. George Keating and Claire Noble provided incredible marketing guidance. Our publicist, Judy Heise, and Brian Walker, special sales manager, were passionate about the book’s success. Vice Admiral Peter Daly, USN (Ret.) and chief executive officer of the U.S. Naval Institute, supported the book from day one. Special appreciation goes to the U.S. Naval Academy Alumni Association and all our supporters on and off the Yard. Our literary agent, Maryann Karinch, is a true patriot and savvy adviser who made us feel cared for and respected throughout this process.

At the front of the pack, we are honored to have earned a place on this book’s cover. We are indebted to our parents, friends, and other loved ones. They were patient during countless conference calls, writing road trips, and whiteboard strategy meetings. It was on the second floor of the Nimitz Library, in December 2010, that we decided to make this book a reality. The stories were too good, the passion too rich, and the vision too important. John Ennis’s creativity, Katherine Kranz’s analysis, and Graham Plaster’s poetic prose all brought the book to life. As for Joshua Welle, he was the navigator in chief, charting the book’s course from idea to bookstore. We wrote, edited, and labored together, classmates and teammates.

Thank you readers, who by picking up this book have expressed faith in the United States of America. We hope it helps you to better understand its modern military and inspires you to learn more about its veterans. Whether civilian or military, Americans must always stand together in service, promoting freedom and protecting democracy against all enemies, foreign and domestic.