One man, two women, one World War. A few notes on soon to be released Twilight of Memory.

My work in progress, a historical fiction from WWII will soon be released.
It is a war time love story between one man and two women living through wartime western Colorado and Italy.

The protagonist is Henry Townsend. Suffering from a devastating loss, Henry joins the 10th Mountain Division of the U.S. Army. As an avid skier and intrepid outdoor enthusiast, he begins to heal. His healing, however, isn't complete until a German bullet finds him atop a mountain in Italy.

My research of the 10th Mountain Division lead me to fall in love with these men. There is a wonderful youtube salute to them at: http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D4tJCjLtlybU  

As statistics show, the 10th Mountain suffered greatly in their four months in Italy.

10TH MOUNTAIN DIVISION CASUALTIES IN ITALY

    On January 6, 1945, the 10th Mountain Division suffered its first casualties in Italy when seven men were killed by mines in Quercianella, near Livorno.
    By the time the war in Italy ended, on May 2, 1945 the division had suffered a total of 4866 casualties – 975 killed, 3871 wounded, and 20 taken prisoner.

    Casualty percentages. Of the 19,780 men (including 6,416 replacements) who served in the 10th Mountain Division in Italy, 25% became casualties. Of these, 20% were wounded and 5% killed. More than 30% of the men in the three infantry regiments who landed in Naples became casualties. The average casualty rate for the 10th was 1216 per month, for four months.

Comparison with  two other infantry units who fought in Italy during WWII. 
Of these, the highest number of casualties were suffered by
the 34th Infantry Division. Many other units were present and suffered greatly.
       34th Inf  16,401 3,408  20 months   820/month
       88th Inf  13,111 2,606  14 months   937/month
       10th Mtn  4,866 975       4 months  1216/month
       

Let us join with Italy in remembering and honoring all of them.