Savage Sniper

NOTE TO READERS

Thank you for reading the continued adventures of Deacon Cole and Patrol Easy. Once again, many of their actions on Leyte are based on the 77^th Infantry Division, following their route after the capture of Ormoc and the push toward Palompon. If you would like to know more, please get a copy of Ours to Hold It High: The History of the 77^th Infantry Division in World War II by Max Myers. I hope that my story honors these actual men and events in some small way.

There are some bits of history here that that are worth mentioning. First, the name of Faraday’s plane, Blind Date, comes from an actual aircraft lost during a bombing mission to Tokyo on May 23, 1945. The people of the Philippines, especially guerrilla forces, were important allies during the campaign. They were considered US nationals until the Philippines became an independent nation on July 4, 1946. The rescue mission and the POW camp are fictionalized for the story, but are inspired by the cruel conditions in real-life. General MacArthur really did issue a warning about the treatment of POWs shortly after landing on Leyte and several Japanese officers were punished accordingly after the war.

It almost goes without saying that some of the language and attitudes on these pages are appropriate to the World War II setting but are avoided today. Japan is now one of our great democratic allies in a challenging world order.

Finally, thank you to the usual team that has helped bring another book to reality, including Aidan, Mary, Mike, Deny, advance readers Dano, Charles, and Paul, the talented narrator Scott Bennett, Streetlight Graphics, Intracoastal Media, and Castle Walls Editing. There are many others too numerous to mention whose support and help over the years are deeply appreciated — including you, dear reader. Writing a book is a leap of faith where you just try to do your best to tell the story. To quote Deacon Cole, “I reckon that I get lucky now and then. Like my daddy used to say, you can’t hit any of the targets you don’t shoot at. In other words, you have to take your chances now and then.”

— DH