Thoughts on At Home and At Sea

Why I decided to write the book.

One answer is what I say in the Preface: “Reading my parents’ letters inspired me to tell their story.” As I add in the Acknowledgments: “I owe the opportunity to read those letters, first, to my parents. Starting with World War II, Becky saved all the letters that she and Royce wrote to one another. For 50 years, often crisscrossing the country while moving from one residence to another, she stored the accumulating letters in a Chinese trunk. I also could not have read the letters if not for my brother Jeff, who had the foresight to make PDF copies of all of them, storethem on a CD, and send copies of the CD to his siblings.” I did not know the full extent of the letters until Jeff sent me the CD, and I did not begin to read them until after I retired, in 2009. At first, I planned to use the letters to write a family history. I began by reading letters written in the 1950s when I was old enough to have a more complete knowledge of family events. When I got around to reading letters from World War II, I realized how little I knew about this time in my parents’ lives. I saw in the letters a love story of a couple living apart and maintaining an relationship under the stresses created by the war. But I also saw that I did not fully appreciate what they had been through. As I filled in my knowledge of the Pacific War and conditions on the home front, I envisioned a book with multilayered narratives, with the letters conveying my parents’ experience and evolving relationship in the context of events at home and at sea.

What I hope readers will get from the book.

The vast literature of naval history focuses on major battles and the actions of a few “great men”—admirals, generals, presidents. These accounts omit the everyday lives of millions of people like Becky and Royce caught in the sweep of history. We cannot truly understand war without considering the experiences of so-called “ordinary people.” I therefore hope that readers will appreciate the sacrifices made by the men (and women) who answered the call to serve and the families they left behind.

A further word of thanks.

I wrote the acknowledgments section of the book before the manuscript was prepared for publication. Once I decided to self-publish via Amazon KDP, I entered into a contract with Kimberly Martin of Jera Publishing to do the interior design, eBook conversion, and submit the final files to Amazon. Kimberly was a pleasure to work with, providing prompt turnaround and timely responses to my questions and readily incorporating my daughter’s suggestions. Kimberly was recommended to me by Darin Pepple, author of Dodge Bomb. Darin also was helpful in guiding me through the self-publication process with Amazon.