Incident at the Back Gate

The Incident takes place in 1960 at a military base in San Francisco. What was life like there? Circumstances take Wally, the young Marine who first came upon the horrific scene, to an Ojibwa reservation in Minnesota. What was their history? Their beliefs? Their burial customs? Follow Wally through a military court-martial. A romance blossoms. Mistakes are made. Lives entangle. Throw in some interesting characters and some true stories. But underlying it all is the question of what really happened out there that fateful night. The answer is buried in Wally's memory. But will he ever be able to access it? This story is entertaining, informative, fun, and will tug at your heartstrings. It begins with a mystery and ends with a twist.

The Incident actually happened. In 1960 Wally was a young Marine stationed on a naval base in San Francisco. He was the first to encounter a horrific scene at the back gate. His bunkmate and best friend had been killed. Was it an accident, or was it murder? The victim, Nick, was a Native American. Wally and a friend, Tom, accompany Nick's body back to the reservation. They learn about Native American history, beliefs, and burial customs. Romance begins to blossom. Not long after Wally returns to base, John, the other guard at the back gate that fateful night, is tried in a military court-martial. Romance heats up. Mistakes are made. Lives entangle. Take a trip back in time to an era before cell-phones. Throw in some interesting characters and some true stories. But underlying it all is the mystery of what actually happened out there at the Back Gate that night. The answer is buried in Wally's memory. But will he ever be able to access it? This story is entertaining, informative, fun, and will tug at your heartstrings. It begins with a mystery and ends with a twist.

Walter Vore was the Marine who actually came upon the scene of the Incident described in this book. He also is the author of a biography of his life entitled, "Spokes of Lies, Spokes of Truth". In his working career, he wore two hats: engineer and florist. Because he believed in being his brother's keeper, he additionally was an active participant in many different service organizations, as well as his church. He rose to the rank of Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus. Betty McCord (Sanglier, Riffle) was a reading specialist. Both authors came out of Rochester High School, Rochester, Michigan. Betty earned her B.A. from Olivet College and her M.A. from Michigan State. In addition to teaching in Michigan, New York, and West Virginia, she served as a consultant for the state of New York and the state of Michigan.