Author graduated from the Virginia Military Institute in 1967 with a degree in Civil Engineering and a Regular Commission in the US Army. His service included command of an Engineer company in Vietnam, where he received the Bronze Star. After his return, he wandered in search of the Truth, and ended by making a career as a tugboat captain. During this time he was able to earn a Master of Liberal Arts from the University of Richmond, with an international focus on war and cultural revolution. He currently lives in Richmond, where he studies history and cultural anthropology, and occasionally commutes to Norfolk to serve as a tugboat pilot.