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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
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ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I owe debts of gratitude to several people who aided me during the time I researched and wrote this book. Christopher N. Koontz and the late Richard W. Byrd transcribed all the tape-recorded interviews to produce hundreds of pages of typescript. Their first-rate work was invaluable in enabling me to sift through the transcripts to extract pertinent information and facilitate citing. Thanks to the efforts of archivist Richard Himmel, all the transcripts and tapes have been processed and are now housed in the University Archives at the University of North Texas, where they are available for further use by researchers. I would certainly be remiss if I did not recognize the contributions Ruth and Dean (“Whitie”) Harrison, who welcomed me into their home and hosted me during my frequent visits to Wrightsville to conduct the interviews. They took a keen interest in my project. Most importantly, they served as my gatekeepers by reintroducing me to persons I had known in years past and encouraging them to be interviewed. After the deaths of Ruth and “Whitie,” their daughter Kathy was most helpful in finding photos and addition information about the veterans’ families. Being computerchallenged , I leaned heavily on the technical expertise of staff in the Department of History: Donna Morgan Hauptmann, Devan Gerlach, and Stephanie Friday. They made my work easier and less time-consuming. x SMALL TOWN AMERICA IN WORLD WAR II Longtime colleagues Donald Chipman and Randolph Campbell read parts of the manuscript and offered pertinent suggestions to improve it. I am most grateful for their comments. Finally, I am indebted to all the individuals, veterans and civilians, who gave their time to be interviewed and to review the drafts of the transcripts for accuracy. Since war is a deadly serious and brutal business, the veterans in particular often were asked to recount experiences that they had for so long deliberately repressed. Nevertheless, they did their very best to answer all my questions forthrightly and honestly. They are my heroes. Ronald E. Marcello University of North Texas ...