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Jane Whitmore and Andrea Feinberg are the daughters of Edward Siegel and Gretchen (Boody) Siegel. They created this book from a collection of letters, journals, audiotapes, photographs and memoirs left by their parents. They said, “The letters are so engrossing. Although we knew the ending, we couldn’t wait to read what would happen next.” Jane currently lives in Richmond, Virginia. Andrea currently lives on Long Island and Utah.

This is a love story which began on an Army troop ship traveling to Panama during World War II. Gretchen Boody and Edward Siegel met January 8, 1942. Gretchen was an Army nurse from Wisconsin, daughter of farmers, and was raised as a Methodist. Edward was an Army doctor from New York, son of shopkeepers, and was raised as an Orthodox Jew. Stationed and working together, they fell deeply in love. Edward never told his parents about their relationship until he left Panama in 1944. This is also the story of religious prejudice, as they fought for their relationship over the opposition of Edward’s family. Against an historical background, the story begins when Gretchen departed Panama for home leave. Culminating in Okinawa after V-J Day in 1945, this book is a compelling read. No one in the family has any idea where their shared nicknames, variations of “Mr. Bops,” “Bops” or “Bopsy” came from. A large stuffed bear named “Mr. Bops,” a gift from Edward to Gretchen in 1944, is pictured on the cover.