Novel Dedications

  This novel is dedicated to my wife, Christine, without whose love and support I would not have had the life and career that I have had. I would also not have been able to retire when I did to try my hand at writing novels without her. It is also dedicated to my children, Pamela and Roger, their respective spouses Vinh and Brittany and to my grandchildren, Gemma, Dempsey and Brayden. My family has always been and still remains a central focus in the purpose of all my worldly endeavors. I will borrow a quote from the Star Trek character Mr. Spock and say, “May they all live long and prosper.”

 This novel is dedicated to my closest friend and colleague, Anthony J. Faria without whose long-lasting friendship and support I would not have had the career that I did. He was the greatest influence on my writing, and he inspired me to consider writing novels. He and I worked together for a long time. More importantly, we also socialized a lot and shared our love of sports, and in particular, golf. I was looking forward to spending more leisure time with him in a post-pandemic world. Sadly, he passed away in the Spring of 2021 before we could do this. He was generously reading and commenting on my novels, and I had sent him an early draft version of this one to comment upon. He passed away before he was able to provide me with his usual insights. I don’t know for sure if one’s spirit truly exists beyond this life, but I do believe it to be so. So, I say this, “Where-ever you are Tony, I hope you will be able to read my work. Oh, and Go State!”

   The primal human motivation and desire for a mate is one of the most compelling forces a person can experience. Consequently, it gives rise to the strongest of all human emotions and actions, love. This novel is dedicated to all the people who have ever experienced an unrequited love or have agonized over being forced to make a choice of whom to love!  

I am reminded of the lyrics from the song Matchmaker-Matchmaker, from the Musical, Fiddler on the Roof; “Make me a match.” If only finding one’s mate in life was as easy as going to a matchmaker who could be trusted to put you with your soul mate! The modern world offers dating apps to match-make. We can select the app based on the kind of relationship we are seeking. Are we looking for mates or just dates?

In reality, love and attraction are very fickle things! We interact with others on a daily basis. In doing so we develop feelings for them. I remember this great word from my childhood describing relationships. The word was “mutual.” No matter what you said, if you got back, “mutual,” you knew exactly where you stood! “I love you!” “Mutual!” Therein lies the issue! What if the feelings aren’t mutual? You love them, but they don’t love you! It’s easy to handle outright rejection! You offer love, they respond with disdain! You can then go mutual and disdain them back! 

What if they respond with kindness and friendship? They accept you, but they don’t love you! Does one pursue what can never be obtained? What if you truly love two people at the same time? Societal conventions and legal marriages demand, one for one, regardless of gender. There are polyamorous relationships. Yet, the inherent nature of humans towards jealousy, along with social conventions favoring monogamy, makes polyamory difficult to establish. Even at that, favoritism may emerge and then someone’s love goes unrequited. Powerful forces are endemic in love. They must be contended with. They may well lead to destruction unless they can be channelled elsewhere! Betrayal often leads to divorce and murder! It has always been thus in human relationships, and will likely remain so! 

This novel is dedicated to everyone in the world who has ever lost someone in their lives that they deeply cared about. May you find solace in your lives and learn to manage your grief. It is important to recognize that it is a process that is continually ongoing. One must also allow ones-self to accept that it is reasonable to pause and take time to grieve. It is equally important to realize that although pausing is necessary, one must still carry on in the face of loss. Share your feelings and give your grief away so that it can be replaced with the good memories of the one’s you have lost! Carry on for them in the manner that they would expect of you, and that they themselves would carry on if your places were reversed!

This novel is dedicated to my father William. A professional soldier for much of his life, he was a decorated Korean War Veteran and a one-time U.N. peacekeeper in Gaza. He came home profoundly affected by those experiences; among many others he had in the service of his Country! Unlike many veterans, he felt compelled to tell his stories to his family. I learned a lot about how war makes a man feel from him. I also learned how the experience permanently alters one’s psyche. For some, the damage is irreparable! War veterans should always be treated with compassion and respect. They have all sacrificed so much with far too little reward and recognition. Never begrudge the fact that they get to board an airplane before you do! It is a very small favor in light of what they have given for their Nation!

This novel is dedicated to the people that you meet along the road of life who lift you up and help you out without even knowing you!! My family and I have encountered them in so many different situations. Many people have made positive differences in our lives from the simple acts of holding a door open, letting us find a space in traffic, to major benefits such as resuscitating your author in a Hospital Emergency! It is known as the kindness of strangers. If you want to know how to make a better world and feel really good about it, try committing acts of kindness to strangers as they come your way! As a Boy Scout, I made a promise that I would do a good turn every day. I can’t say I have always kept this promise, but I have always tried my best, which is another Boy Scout promise by the way. It is an important social interaction that all people can share with one another. Keep in mind that not everyone you help will acknowledge the act with a thank you, or even realize its meaning. Don’t let these experiences extinguish your willingness to be kind! You yourself can still take joy from the act of giving!

   This novel is dedicated to all the people who have ever sought to faithfully serve their Communities and their Countries through a career in Law Enforcement. My own father served in the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and then the Canadian Army Provost Corps. He also undertook United Nations Peacekeeping duties in Gaza for a tour. He also served in the Regular Canadian Army as well. He later worked in Security, and he ended his career working in Industrial Safety. His whole life involved service and sacrifice and it took a heavy toll on him and our family.

    This novel is dedicated to the men and women who protect the leaders of Democratic Societies and their people. It is a sad state of affairs when those who represent the people of their society cannot walk freely amongst them and those who wish to vote, do not feel safe to do so. The protectors of Democracy are the ones which enable this for us all. It is a weakness of Democracy that those who wish to take away its freedoms often hide themselves within its protections as they try to deny freedom to others. A fine line must always be walked by the practitioners of Democracy. A fair system of justice and properly resourced protectors are a necessity to prevent the corruption and abuse of power by the enemies of Democracy, while also allowing for honest dissent. 

The most dangerous enemy usually resides within the practitioners themselves. That is when we abdicate responsibility by either failing to vote, or when doing so, we fail to be judicious! I have often heard it said that it doesn’t matter who you vote for, as long as you vote! That is not true! The right needs to be exercised with good judgment! What your leaders and representatives stand for is far more important than the party to which they are affiliated! Adolph Hitler was legally elected in a Democratic Election in Germany. From there he manipulated his way into autocratic power and destroyed Democracy in his nation. It will happen again unless voters are judicious! Whenever a politician says one thing and does another, they have violated your trust. Do not vote for them again! Fool me once, shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me!!

    This novel is dedicated to the builders and planners in our societies who think far ahead to the benefit of their citizens. Take for example, John Augustus Roebling, the engineer who was responsible for the design and construction of New York City’s Brooklyn Bridge. It was begun in 1869 and finally completed in 1883, long before any motor vehicles even existed. Yet, here it is today, still serving New York City’s busy commercial truck and automobile traffic for more than 150 years after it was designed. It is expected that it will continue to serve long into the future from now. The world has been gifted by so many visionaries in the past and hopefully will continue to be so. Of course, the forces of destruction seemed to be more quickly martialed and visited upon human societies to the detriment of the forces of creation. During wartime, the bridges that join people together are often among the first casualties of combat between opposing forces. It is very instructive to note that the armies that develop the capability to build, repair, and rebuild their bridges, roads, and railways most rapidly and efficiently, are usually the ones that win the wars!

    “I need a hero,” is a refrain from the song Holding Out for A Hero, from the 1980s movie, Footloose. But what is a hero? The Oxford Language definition is: “A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” It is also “a type of sandwich using a long bread roll that is then split in half and filled with meats or cheeses!” 

This book is dedicated to “persons” who are heroes! People, who in everyday life commit selfless acts, making the lives of those around them better. They stand as shining examples to follow and emulate. The greatest heroes often possess qualities which the rest of us lack. We admire them from afar and dream of accomplishing the kinds of deeds they have. And yet, faced with a moment of crisis where we are on hand to help, we can rise to the occasion and be the hero that is needed. This is the essence of heroism, a person who finds the courage to act, often when others fail to. Their actions arise unexpectedly, illustrating one common hallmark. They are usually selfless deeds, undertaken at great personal risk with little concern for their own safety, where the hero either rescues or protects others. 

Most heroes are unassuming people who did what they thought was right in a situation that arose from circumstance! If you take the time to look around, you will find that they surround us in our everyday lives! Soldiering calls for heroism, and that is what this series of books is about. It is my opinion, that the knight errants amongst us, who set out in search of glory seeking to gain the title of hero, are acting with a selfish motivation! True heroes are those whose actions are motivated by being selfless! My definition of a hero is: “A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities while undertaking selfless acts.” Oh, and of course, it can also be a sandwich!  

  This novel is dedicated to those soldiers who have done their duty out of love of others in the face of overwhelming odds! They are selfless lovers who care for the ones they are fighting for! They imbue the true spirit of what it means to love. The love of family, the deep abiding love for one’s spouse, the love of community, the love of country, the love of duty, and the love of life. This book focuses on the aspects of love which people are willing to sacrifice their lives for. Soldiers in war might well be the greatest lovers of all! Soldiers offer up their lives in the defence of their country and their fellow soldiers! Why would they do that if not for the love of their people and their way of life? Of course, there are less noble motivations and reasons for soldiering than love! There is avarice, greed, wanton cruelty, and forced servitude. People take up the profession for these reasons too! However, within the crucible of war, when survival is on the line, selfless love may enable the sacrifice demanded. In the face of enemies who will sacrifice themselves, the unwilling are more likely to run away and be defeated! Still, a willingness to sacrifice one’s life doesn’t assure victory! During World War II, approximately 3,800 Japanese Kamikaze pilots died as they tried to crash their airplanes into enemy ships and ground targets. Their sacrifices did not lead to victory. Time and again, history teaches that more often than not, might is right! Yet there are many famous war stories of small groups of soldiers that stood their ground and were willing to sacrifice themselves in defiance of the odds to save their fellow soldiers! The story of the battle of Rorke’s Drift, which took place on January 22, 1876, in Nepal, South Africa, is one of those! I recommend the movie film Zulu from Paramount Pictures, and the Book, Rorke’s Drift by Michael Glover, for readers who wish to have a vivid experience of such a story.