Listing the credits for this book must begin with Nancy Gately, for it was she, shortly before her death in 2010, who recognized that Leland Duvall’s wartime letters had both literary and historical value. It came about this way: At lunch with other residents at the retirement home, Nancy heard her new neighbor, Letty Duvall, say that her daughter had discovered the love letters to Letty from her future husband while cleaning out the garage and that she was having fun rereading them after sixtyfive years. Nancy asked if she could read a few and, having done so, insisted that they be made into a book. Letty was sure that Leland would have been mortified at the thought of thousands of people pawing around in his thoughts, but she agreed that Nancy should ask my advice. My idea, naturally, was that the letters deserved to be published and that, while he probably would not have cared one way or the other, Leland might have found some satisfaction in having them published since he had taken great pleasure in writing every one of them. Letty consented.