I could write an entire story about Marta’s experience as a Harvey Girl. Maybe I will. But a really terrific book on the subject is The Harvey Girls: Women Who Opened the West by Lesley Poling-Kempes, Da Capo Press, 1994.

I am deeply indebted to the men who not only served valiantly with the 21st Armored Infantry Battalion, but wrote down their memories to preserve on the 11th Armored Division’s website. Generous poetic license was taken as I pieced together various soldiers’ testimonials, drawing in particular from the accounts of Ray Johnson and John Fague. Any resulting historical, logistical or military inaccuracies are purely mine.

Confession: I’ve never been to Clayton. I planned to, but then 2020 happened. So I owe tremendous gratitude to Thomas LaClair, the historian of the Village of Clayton, and his community Facebook page that is a treasure trove of photographs, scrapbooks, memorabilia and historical details. Also the Facebook page “1000 Island River Rats: Then and Now,” which has amazing stories and pictures of the river, both modern and historical. I’m sure I didn’t come close to portraying the true beauty and uniqueness of the Thousand Islands. In fact I’m confident I’ll have disappointed several locals. But as with all my novels, I feel there’s always a lot more I can get wrong than right. All I can do is give a book my respect, my curiosity, my love, my soul, my best intentions.

It is my sincere, golden hope I got it right.

—SLQR

Somers, New York

July 7, 2021

In Tribute

Members of B Company

21st Armored Infantry Battalion

Killed in Action

In Imagination: Kennet’s Unit

1st Lt. George West, Platoon Commander

2nd Lt. Peter Jorgensson, Platoon Leader

Squad 1

Able

†Sgt. Thomas “Monty” Montenegro, Squad Leader and Scout Rifleman