End Notes

End notes:

This story is dedicated to “Cliffie”, a senior Chief Petty Officer who served on the USS Liberty (AGTT-5) at the time it was attacked in 1967 in the Eastern Mediterranean during the “Six-Day War.” The Liberty was one of two unarmed American intelligence gathering ships that had been attacked during the Cold War, where sailors regularly went into dangerous waters to obtain information that our armed forces and national leaders could never otherwise obtain.

Some of them paid the ultimate price during their service, and all of them were forced to keep their experiences to themselves, never being able to reveal their activities to their families who might have otherwise been able to give them the support and comfort they deserved. It was a hard and lonely burden to bear, but they shouldered it always with great honor, albeit always at a very personal and enduring cost.

We cannot fully appreciate the hard and dangerous work these men did for us, as their stories remain untold, and shall remain so long after they are gone. Until that day comes when the stories of their service can finally come to light, we can only offer an ignorant, yet heartfelt thanks, for their unknown sacrifices that have undoubtedly contributed to our safety and well being in ways that we can yet only dream of.

Senior Chief, Victoria! And thanks for reaching out to me while I was writing this. I have never felt so honored.

Thanks to so many of you who have offered your support and encouragement as I’ve dipped my toe into the world of fiction writing. I’ve learned much and grown more as a writer, and I assure you that more stories from me shall come in the future. I hope those endeavors will be met with the same kindness and love as you have all offered me here.

Thanks also, of course, to the Swarm writers group, Omachuck in particular, who took me under his wing to help me develop as a writer and help me make my contribution to this universe of stories worthy of the legacy so many have blazed before me. Their patience, proofreading help and story suggestions were outstanding, and helped to make this better than my own suspect and unproven skills could otherwise accomplish. It is not only an honor to be considered worthy to contribute to this considerable body of work, but to be such a happy recipient of their friendship and support.

To my readers, I leave you with this one request: many ideas in this story have been blatantly stolen from people much wiser and better than I, and I’ve tried hard to see if I could burn them into your brains with an engaging tale. If you forget the tale someday, I won’t feel sad at all. But the ideas I desperately hope will find a way to burrow into your head and take up permanent residence. May they inform and inspire you in the future, and improve the quality, performance and experience of your human existence on God’s wonderful creation we call Earth.