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Acknowledgments To all those listed in the Bibliographical Essay who shared their personal papers and consented to interviews we send a robust “Thank You!” In every case we approached these people as strangers and, at least from our perspective , left as friends. Although each of these individuals was vital in reconstructing Joe’s life, we owe a special debt to seven people, named here in alphabetical order. Carollyn DeVore graciously consented to multiple interviews, allowed us to rummage through the extensive material she had relating to Joe, openly discussed both Joe’s good and bad sides, and had an astoundingly accurate memory. Steve Hawk’s extensive collection of wartime material and detailed recollections were instrumental in understanding Joe’s service with A-2-501 and how the war had changed by 1971. Along with an initial interview that lasted the better part of two days, Cleo C. Hogan Jr. was tireless in answering “just one more question.” In addition, he permitted us to read his almostdaily letters to his wife Glynna (who had the good sense to keep them), shared his encyclopedic knowledge of the Delta Raiders’ first six months in Vietnam, and wrote his memoirs, which are indispensable in understanding Joe’s first tour. Everything in this book flowed from the first interview we did, which was on August 12–13, 1994, when we met with Faye Hooper in her Decatur, Alabama, home. Not only did Faye answer as many questions as we asked (both then and in subsequent phone calls), but she also gave us access to Joe’s surviving papers, memorabilia, and photographs. Aside from what we discovered about Joe from these materials, we also first learned of Carollyn DeVore and the Delta Raiders of Vietnam Association, and through that Association we contacted Cleo Hogan, Captain McMenamy, and so many other Raiders. For insight into the last year of Joe’s life, our interviews with Dewey “Buck” Johnson (and his family) were indispensable, especially since it was through “Buck” that we met Jerry McCollum, who was with Joe the day he died. Captain Mac literally went hoarse talking with us for eight straight hours about the Raiders’ formation, deployment to Vietnam, and their first two months in-country, and—after considerable prodding—about his own remarkable military career. To say that he is a dynamic personality and truly inspirational leader does not do justice to the gentleman’s character. Finally , through both personal and telephone interviews, and through written responses to our inquiries, Alex Vira allowed us to better understand Joe’s years in the Seattle region when he worked for the va, and introduced us to Mike Sallis and Larry Frank. To Noah and Joyce Rockel, thanks for the lessons in devotion and courage. The book benefited immensely from the critiques provided by three exceptionally talented historians who read an initial draft of the manuscript: Professor Mark Clodfelter, a former Air Force officer who now teaches at the National War College; Professor Jerry Cooper, who recently retired after a distinguished career at the University of Missouri–St. Louis; and David M. Toczek, an Army officer and author of a fine book on the Battle of Ap Bac. Although we accepted almost all of their suggestions, we did not incorporate them all. Consequently, any errors in the book are ours alone. Thanks to John F. Sanders, who is Professor Maslowski’s neighbor and frequent fishing companion, many of the photographs in this book are better quality than the originals. John is a professional photographer who is a genius at converting less-than-perfect photos—sometimes no more than aging, fading snapshots—into truly splendid black-and-white prints. Without generous support from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, this book could not have been written. The project benefited from several grants-in-aid from the Research Council that funded travel costs for trips to the National Archives and to conduct interviews. Also Professor Maslowski’s faculty development leave in the fall semester, 2002, permitted the authors to complete the text. Numerous hard-working, knowledgeable individuals at various institutions , repositories, and libraries provided invaluable assistance. Our debt runs especially deep to the following: Gretchen Holten Poppler at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln’s Love Library, a historian at heart who is unfailingly and enthusiastically helpful; Jeffrey Clarke, Romana Danysh, and Erik Villard at the U.S. Army Center of Military History at Fort McNair, all of whom readily responded to inquires about often-obscure matters...

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