I am thankful for my many colleagues and friends during my twenty-seven-plus-year army career who shared the daily challenges wherever we found ourselves, on the hospital wards or in the office, the lecture hall, the lab, cramped airplanes, dingy hotels, overseas training venues, a Humvee, a combat support hospital, a tent, or a bunker. I also thank my many mentors, supervisors, and commanders who gave me opportunities and put me in positions of responsibility that allowed me to grow as a physician, a soldier, an officer, and a leader.
I am grateful to the following friends and colleagues who took the time to share their memories with me, reviewed or corrected draft portions, or gave me supplemental documents that provided a more holistic and objective narrative: Arthur Anderson, Arthur Friedlander, Beverly Fogtman, Bret Purcell, Caree Vander Linden, Charles Hoke, David Shoemaker, Denise Clizbe, Derron (Tony) Alves, Dianne Negley, Ellen Boudreau, Fernando Guerena, Donald (Gray) Heppner, Greg Deye, Greg Martin, Henry (Hank) Heine, James Martin, Janice Rusnak, Jeff Adamovicz, John Aldis, John Grabenstein, Judith Pace-Templeton, Kelly Warfield, Kurt Schaecher, Pat Worsham, Phil Russell, Rich Trotta, Robert Kuschner, Scott Stanek, Stephen Thomas, Sybil Tasker, Terry Besch, Timothy Burgess, Tim Whitman, Tom Geisbert, and Wendy Sammons-Jackson. The following individuals reviewed the near-final full draft and gave me valuable feedback on how to improve it: Charles Hoke, Cynthia Williams, Ellen Boudreau, Erica Ragan, and Margie Dere. Charles and Ellen developed a standardized rating system that they applied to each chapter, which was incredible.
I would like to recognize my agent, Jim Hornfischer, a bestselling writer of naval war history, who saw potential in my initial email query and supported me to write the book I wanted to write. I also appreciate his introducing me to Kim Cross, author of the bestselling What Stands in a Storm. Kim helped me find my “voice” and served as my writing coach, and she encouraged me to interview others to improve the narrative with additional perspectives. She also shepherded me into the community of nonfiction writers and assisted me in crafting a solid book outline and proposal. Thanks also to Kim and my other colleagues at the Archer City Writing Workshop for taking me seriously, especially Glenn Stout, Brett Popplewell, and Wendy Reed, all talented writers and teachers, who provided critiques of my writing.
Thank you to Tom Swanson and the team at Potomac Books for taking a chance on an unknown writer with an interesting story to tell. Thanks especially to Abigail Stryker, who answered all my questions along the way, Barbara Wojhoski and Joeth Zucco for their skillful editing, and Jackson Adams and Tish Fobben for their marketing recommendations.
I would also like to thank the following people who assisted me with obtaining photos or photo permissions, although I may not have been able to use all the photos: Caree Vander Linden, who served as the facilitator for interviews with USAMRIID personnel and assisted with many USAMRIID photos, Barbara Richards, Charles Bailey, Charles Boles, Coleen Martinez, David Franz, David Tribble, Denise Clizbe, Donald (Gray) Heppner, Gene Olinger, John Dye, Kelly Warfield, Mark Takano, Pat Worsham, Rick Stevens, Robert Kuschner, Robert Rivard, Ted Cieslak, Tom Ksiazek, and Xiankun (Kevin) Zeng.
I appreciate the support and encouragement of many other friends, colleagues, and family members along the way who cheered me on when they heard I was writing this memoir.
Finally, I want to thank my wife, Cindy, who reviewed numerous manuscript versions and who took a chance on a lowly medical intern and left her family to live the army journey with me. She has tolerated the difficult role of the “trailing spouse” in the life of a soldier and physician with the late nights on call, middle-of-the-night emergencies, multiple moves, two deployments, and years of continuous travel, but she still managed to excel in her career, all while maintaining a solid home foundation for our three boys.