Amy Rupertus Peacock - Old Breed General: How Marine Corps General William H. Rupertus Broke the Back of the Japanese in World War II from Guadalcanal to Peleliu

IN 2017, MY FRIEND DON BROWN, WHO WAS WORKING ON ANOTHER BOOK at the time, discovered that William H. Rupertus was my grandfather. He reached out to confirm our connection and then promptly gave me a challenge that altered the course of my life for the next five years.

This book would not be before you without the unyielding support and encouragement of my dear sisters, Heather Rupertus Bates and Kimberly Rupertus Robinson, as well as Don.

When I accepted Dons challenge to write my grandfathers story, I did not fully realize the level of research and work that was ahead of me. As I labored away for the next four years to create an accurate and complete historical record of my grandfathers incredible life, I became even more fascinated by this time in history and the astounding times in which my grandfather lived.

Kimberly and Heather joined me in visiting the Marine Corps History Division at Quantico, Virginia, for research, and they also came to Charlotte, North Carolina, to help organize the massive amount of family and military material that lay in the wooden trunks that our grandmother, Alice Hill Rupertus (aka Sleepy), saved after our grandfather, William Henry Rupertus, died unexpectedly in 1945.

Kimberly devoted countless hours to conducting in-depth research at various archives and connected with various historians, scholars, and veterans. She collected hundreds of primary-source materials while organizing and cataloging that research along with our family collections. She also took time to read drafts, offering suggestions. Her persistence, attention to detail, intelligence, and encouragement made her an invaluable contributor to the entire project.

I also completed the military writers On Point Workshop, led by former Marine officer Tracy Crow. As my developmental editor, she provided honest feedback and gave me ongoing support to keep me moving forward. As a civilian, she and a peer reviewer suggested that I should partner with someone with military experience to make this important story the best it could be. I took their advice and reached back out to Don Brown, a former US Navy JAG officer, to join me as my coauthor and get this book to the finish line. I am thankful he accepted the challenge. It has been a wise collaboration and a lot of fun.

Thanks to Dave Sharrett, my former English teacher and dear friend, who reviewed the first rather cathartic essay I wrote about my late father, former USMC Captain Pat Rupertus.

Thanks to our agent, Chip MacGregor, president of MacGregor and Luedeke Literary, for his tireless work on our behalf and guidance in helping us work effectively as coauthors.

Thanks to Scott Syfert for his early support and for reading my first Hail Mary manuscript, as well as his guidance with edits to add color to my work.

Thanks to historian Annette Ammerman and archivist Alisa Whitley for their support and for quickly responding to our multiple requests for USMC and US Navy files and oral histories over the years.

Thanks also to Dominic Amaral and the stellar team at the USMC History Division.

Thanks to our friend Commander John Blackwelder (USN Ret.) for reading the second draft and supporting this story since the beginning. We are grateful for the service and historical input of World War II Marine veterans Jim Hunter, Woody Williams, Braswell Deen Jr., William Finnegan, and William White.

Thanks also to US Army veteran Jack Miller of La Mesa, California; Maria Faber of Evergreen, Colorado; Marie Prys of Salem, Oregon; and Rob Suggs of Atlanta, Georgiafor their excellent editorial feedback.

Thanks to Senior Editor Dave Reisch, Senior Production Editor Patricia Stevenson, Editorial Assistant Stephanie Otto, Assistant Marketing Manager Maura Cahill, and our book team at Rowman & Littlefield for their interest, patience, and work on our behalf to get this book out to the world.

A bundle of gratitude, love, and thanks goes to my family, including my husband Edwin, for hours of conversation with me about the book and history. Im ever grateful to our children, Bruton and Avery, for supporting and encouraging their mom during these pivotal years in their lives.

This book was a team effort. Thank you, Old Breed General Team!

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