ON THE COVER: Britt Taylor Collins, “The Veteran’s Artist,” has advertised in these pages for many years; this issue he’s on the back cover. We asked him to illustrate the cover story on Operation Meade River. Here some notes he sent with his illustration:

“It was a real odyssey to get an authentic Navy/Marine Medal of Honor. But the effort was well worth the result,” he wrote. For his gallantry during Operation Meade River, Staff Sgt. Karl G. Taylor was posthumously awarded the MOH. The AK round that is positioned on the helmet was actually in Vietnam for two tours, as was the USMC scarf in the lower right corner; both served as good luck pieces. The helmet is fashioned as a Marine helmet with the black camouflage cover band instead of the Army cloth version. There is a Marine flak vest, a Marine M-14 ammo pouch, and a super-rare M79 grenade launcher, all supporting the story.”