A/N: I would like to apologize to my loyal followers of a Date which will live in Infamy. I promised a new historical fiction, but work, life and my other stories have kept me pretty busy as I worked on trying to rough draft a idea for the story. I was not particularity happy with my prologue in the beginning nor did I know where I wanted this particular one to stop at. I have worked out the issues of the prologue, and found a endpoint in my story. So here is small preview of the first chapter of EMBARK UPON THE GREAT CRUSADE. Enjoy the preview and let me know what you think. Thank you.

Chapter 1

February 7th, 1944

New York Point of Embarkation

Brooklyn, New York

The sounds of patriotic melodies and jazz drifted across the area only to be drowned out sometimes by the roar of Army Trucks, sedans, jeeps, buses and the squealing of tanks pulling into the area. Men in uniform either walked or disembarked from the vehicles. They then formed up into columns before marching off towards the ships that lined the pier. Some men tossed glances to the men standing off to the sides with their families, wives, or girlfriends. For one tall stocky officer, he was standing with two red-headed women, one a teenager, and the other one an elderly lady. Both of the ladies were fighting off the tears, even though both knew this day was coming.

For Richard Castle, 38, he was the only son of the Jackson and Martha Rodgers. His father served in the US Army in World War 1. He survived the fighting of the battlefields of Europe only to die in the 1919 Flu Pandemic. His mother, Martha was a Broadway actress who had success despite being a single mother, and a widow. Though Martha was shocked by the loss of her beloved husband, she vowed to keep his memory alive for their son. She kept her husband's picture in a locket which she wore in every performance. She told him the stories and showed him pictures of his father's military service; yet Rick was surprised that his father never really shared any of his experiences with his mother nor did he write anything down. So for Rick his father's military service remained an elusive mystery while he attended secondary school and Columbia University. While at school, Rick discovered he had a flair for writing, which led to short stories and recognition while attending Columbia. By the time he had graduated from Columbia he had his first novel published, and married an actress by the name of Meredith from the drama program at Columbia. After school he was teaching in a school near Midtown, and Meredith had given birth to their daughter Alexis. Yet a couple years after Alexis was born, they were divorced when Meredith's career took off and she left for Hollywood to take part in the movies. Martha stepped up and took on part time roles to help Rick raise Alexis.

Then when the depression hit the country, Rick needed to find a way to supplement their income to avoid starving and losing their home, despite Martha's smart savings plan. That is when he joined the New York National Guard to help with the money. By the time he completed Officer Candidate School, he was the oldest second Lieutenant for his company. In November 1941, Richard Castle was sent to the First Division to help bring the division up to wartime strength. He led an infantry platoon in the initial stages of the Invasion of North Africa called Operation Torch. Then in February of 1943 during the Battle of Kasserine Pass, he was wounded by German machine gun fire. He was award the Silver Star for valor while having his platoon hold a key defensive position while covering the withdrawal of his company. During his recovery, he was sent stateside to take part in a War Bonds tour, and had expected to remain in the US for the remainder of the war until he received orders to the Fourth Infantry Division's 12th Regiment. Now here he was again saying good-bye to his family.

"Come on pumpkin, it will be ok." Rick said to his 17 year old daughter who was fighting tears. "I'll be back."

"You don't know that Dad, it's war. Jessica father said the same thing before he was killed in the Pacific." Alexis said crying into her father's chest.

Martha was also fighting tears herself. "It's true Richard, your father said the same thing to meet on this pier when he left."

"Mother please, you are not helping the matters." Rick scolded his mother more harshly than he meant too. He whispered a sorry and picked up his daughter's chin. "Listen, I know its war, but I promised myself I wouldn't leave you alone in the world, and I will do my damnedest to keep that promise ok?"

"Okay dad." Alexis replied crying but with a weak smile attached to it. She hugged her father tighter.

"Pumpkin I need to talk to grandma, but you promise me you'll listen to her." Rick told her. She looked up and nodded. Rick smiled and planted a kiss on her forehead before turning to his mother. "Well mother, here we are again."

"Oh Richard, we knew it was a possibility but I couldn't believe the Army would send you back over there." Martha said with the tears now flowing. She dabbed her eyes. "You know I will look out for her."

"I know you will mother." Rick replied as he was now fighting tears himself. He took a deep breath. "Do me a favor?"

"What is that dear?" Martha said now curious.

"Head home after I leave you. Don't watch the ships depart." Rick stated to her.

Martha opened her mouth but closed it quickly. She nodded her head in agreement.

While the three of them were saying good bye, a little ways up the dock from them, a brunette in Service Uniform of the Army Nursing Corp was having her own emotional farewell with an older gentlemen in front of her. Kate Beckett was 33 years old, and a second lieutenant in the Army Nursing Corps. Born to parents who were lawyers, her entire future was laid out for her. She would attend the finest girl's schools, go to the best university on the East Coast, and attend law school like her parents. Then while in her second year of college, her mother was shot and killed while walking home one night just walking home from the store with a few groceries. Her father descended into the bottle and Kate herself dropped out of college to battle the depression that hit her as well. Then one morning while waking up in a dive bar on the lower east side with a unknown male next to her, Kate made a determination. She would save herself and her father from sliding down the slippery slope further. She walked to the nearest church and asked for forgiveness and strength to recover. Then she confronted her father that they were dishonoring her mother's memory by doing the things they were doing. James Beckett surprised at the strength of his daughter, agreed and both went on the wagon with the help of their local church.

Then one night, a man stumbled into the church bleeding from a stab wound. Another lady who turned out to be a nurse rushed to his aid, and so did Kate. The nurse, who reminded Kate of her mother, saved the man and afterwards provided that insight she had been missing since her mother was murdered. The nurse shared she too lost someone close, her husband had been killed in an industrial accident, and their daughter had died of TB when she was real young. It took the nurses sister to snap her out of it and get her the help she needed. Now the nurse attends these meetings to share her stories and help those that need it. The next day she joined the nursing program at the local university. She graduated early in 1940 and was in her third year at a local hospital when the US Army desperate for more nurses overseas recruited her to which she accepted the position after taking a day to think it over. She spent the next six months at Fort Dix before joining the 442th Field Medical Battalion. Like the thousands of others members of the US military, they were now embarking for the dangerous trip overseas. Kate looked at her father who was fighting tears.

"Dad are you ok with me leaving?" Kate asked as she placed her hands on her father's shoulders. Prior to her receiving the orders, her commanding officer Major Braxton Henderson had to ask every member of the hospital if they had any problems that would prevent them from shipping out. 98 percent of the hospital was boarding the ships today.

"No Katie, I'm not fine, but I do understand you have to go." James Beckett told his daughter. He took her hands off his shoulders and gave them a squeeze. "It's what she would want, and it's what I want. Go and be there to save our boys like you saved us."

Kate nodded and leaned over the railing to give her father a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "I'm coming back."

"I know you will Kate. Just write when you can, and stay safe." Jim answered his daughter's statement with a smile.

Before Kate could reply a friend of hers called out. "Kate, we got to go."

Kate turned and nodded. She gave her father another kiss on the cheek. "Bye dad."

Jim smiled weakly with more tears now. "Bye Katie."

Kate ran and fell into last in line with her unit as they formed up and marched towards their transport. Kate scrummaged around her pockets looking for a particular photo, when she lifted up her cover and it fell out. The wind blew it towards Richard Castle and his family. Rick saw Kate chasing after the photo and reached down and snagged. He held it up for her. "Here you go Lieutenant."

"Thank you so much Lieutenant. I didn't want to lose it." Kate said smiling as she put the picture in her pocket.

Rick laughed a little bit. "You might want to run and catch up to your unit before they leave without you."

Kate turned and saw where they were. Kate ran after them. "Oh shoot. Thanks again Lieutenant."

"No problem." Rick replied smiling. He turned back to his two ladies in his life.

Yet before he could say anything, a MP came over directing everyone away from the railing. "Sorry sir, times up they need to close the port for security. You need to get to you embarkation area."

"Right Sergeant." Rick said to the MP who nodded. Rick reached down and grabbed his sea bag and faced his mother and daughter. "I'll miss you both dearly, so write often and stay out of trouble."

Alexis nodded and gave her father one last hug before Martha did the same and a kiss to the cheek. Rick started up the pier falling in line with the rest of the men who were also forced off the fence line. A little further down the pier, he and the rest of the men who he had followed entered a warehouse, where he saw the Lieutenant whose picture he saved. They were aboard the same transport, but he found it to be coincidence. The doors were closed and the lights dimmed. An officer strolled to the front. "This is your pre-embarkation briefing. Failure to be on board, will count as missing a movement and subject to court-marital."

The briefing went over everything that was expected. Meal times on board ship and since there were females aboard, they had separate facilities and meal times to accommodate them. They went over what to do in the event the ship was torpedoed, which essentially the convoy would not stop to pick up survivors. Smoking was not permitted after sunset on the decks, and life jackets must be available at all times. Afterwards the doors were opened and the units began to leave the warehouse. Kate looked around and saw the Lieutenant who snagged her mom's photo. She smiled waved at him mouthing a thank you again, to which Rick replied with same gesture and a welcome. A half an hour later, Richard Castle gave his name to the officer at the gangplank and proceeded aboard the transport. Two hours later, the transport along with ten other ships raised steam and left the dock. 45 minutes after departing, the ships met up with their escorts and they began to form a convoy which linked up with a convoy that had arrived from Norfolk. Ships seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon as American was sending its young men and women to prepare to take part in the largest invasion in history on the continent of Europe.