I really wrote this book because of what happened when I was talking to four young guys at a friend's party. They seemed to be fascinated to hear about my World War II combat experiences. They kept urging me, for instance, to tell them more about when I, as a Naval fighter pilot in the Pacific, joined up on four Jap fighters, an event I describe later in the book. They sat so mesmerized listening that as I wound up the story I couldn't help stretching the truth a bit by telling them I made too steep a dive at the end of the encounter, went into the drink and drowned. Up to that last part they...