Serge A. Storms thought to have committed suicide when Serge was a child, but during the novel "Cadillac Beach" it's discovered that he is still alive. The elder Storms had a heart attack not long after his grandson's 44th birthday, and died after a short stay in hospital. Storms' father Pablo was a Cuban American jai alai player who was more popular for his unpredictability than his skill at the sport; he died when he hurled a "pelota" that rebounded and struck him forcefully in the head. This occurred when Serge was very young, and left his mother a widowed single mother. She
Observation Post Bari Alai Observation Post Bari Alai Observation Post (OP) Bari Alai is a joint Afghan and U.S. observation post located in Eastern Afghanistan in Konar Province. OP Bari Alai was established in the spring of 2009 by TF Raider (6/4 Cavalry, 3rd Brigade, 1st Infantry Division) and built by members of Marine Embedded Training Team 7-4, following increased attacks against U.S. and Afghan National Army (ANA) forces and civilians transiting north and south along the Konar river valley. OP Bari Alai was named after an ANA soldier who was killed in an IED strike just months before the creation of the OP.