2009 Colby SymposiumMarch 26–27, 2009
Authors/Panelists
Carlo D’Este
Carlo D’Este is a retired U.S. Army lieutenant colonel and a highly regarded military historian. He is the author of Decision in Normandy, Bitter Victory: The Battle for Sicily, 1943, World War II in the Mediterranean, Fatal Decision: Anzio and the Battle for Rome, Patton: A Genius for War, Eisenhower: A Soldier’s Life 1890–1945 and most recently Warlord: A Life of Winston Churchill at War, 1874–1945. D’Este received his B.A. from Norwich University in 1958, an M.A. from the University of Richmond in 1974, and an honorary doctorate of humane letters from Norwich in 1992.
Joseph L. Galloway
Joseph L. Galloway recently retired as the senior military correspondent for Knight Ridder Newspapers. Galloway, a native of Refugio, Texas, spent 22 years as a foreign and war correspondent and bureau chief for United Press International, and nearly 20 years as a senior editor and senior writer for U.S. News & World Report magazine. He is co-author, with Lt. Gen. (ret) Hal G. Moore, of the national bestseller We Were Soldiers Once…and Young. Galloway and Gen. Moore recently completed a sequel, We Are Soldiers Still: A Journey Back to the Battlefields of Vietnam, which also made The New York Times bestseller list. Galloway was decorated with a Bronze Star Medal with V for rescuing wounded soldiers under fire in the Ia Drang Valley, in November 1965. His is the only medal of valor the U.S. Army awarded to a civilian for valorous actions in combat during the Vietnam War. He is also recipient of numerous national awards for excellence in media.
James Hornfischer
A native of Massachusetts, and a graduate of Colgate University and the University of Texas School of Law, James is president of Hornfischer Literary Management, a literary agency in Austin, Texas. He is also the author of two books: The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors: The Extraordinary World War II Story of the U.S. Navy’s Finest Hour and most recently Ship of Ghosts: The Story of the USS Houston, FDR’s Legendary Lost Cruiser, and the Epic Saga of Her Survivors. The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors received the Samuel Eliot Morison Award and was chosen for the Navy’s Professional Reading Program.
2008 Colby Award Winner R. Alan King
Twice Armed author R. Alan King is a recognized authority in Middle Eastern affairs and security, with extensive specialized experience in Iraq. King served in the Army as a Civil Affairs and Psychological Operations officer and was promoted to the rank of colonel in the Army Reserve. He is a veteran of Operation Just Cause in Panama and Operation Iraqi Freedom. While in Iraq, Mr. King was credited with leading the Coalition’s Tribal Affairs and Sunni outreach programs. He is the president and CEO of Consequence Management, Inc. and the National President of the Civil Affairs Association. Mr. King’s book Twice Armed: An American Soldier’s Battle for Hearts and Minds in Iraq was awarded the 2008 William E. Colby Military Writer’s Award for major contributions to intelligence operations and international affairs.
R. Alan King’s Twice Armed site »
Douglas A. Macgregor
Col. (ret) Douglas Macgregor is a decorated combat veteran, an author of four books and a PhD. Macgregor was commissioned in the U.S. Army in 1976 after one year at the Virginia Military Institute and four years at West Point. He is now the lead partner with Potomac League, LLC, in Reston, Virginia. Macgregor’s concepts, from his groundbreaking books on transformation, Breaking the Phalanx (1997) and Transformation under Fire (2003) have profoundly influenced thinking about transformation inside America’s ground forces. Former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich characterized Macgregor as being, “To the information age joint military what Billy Mitchell was to airpower and what Liddell Hart, Fuller, DeGaulle and Guderian were to armored warfare.” He occasionally appears as a guest military affairs commentator on television and radio shows. Macgregor’s newest book: Warrior’s Rage: The Great Tank Battle of 73 Easting Iraq, will be published by Naval Institute Press in September 2009
Donald L. Miller
Donald L. Miller is the John Henry MacCracken Professor of History at Lafayette College in Easton, Pennsylvania. He is the author of nine books, among them the critically acclaimed best seller, Masters of the Air: America’s Bomber Boys Who Fought the Air War Against Nazi Germany. Miller is a contributing editor of American Heritage magazine, host and chief historian of the 26-part PBS series, A Biography of America, and has participated in the writing and production of more than two dozen television documentaries. His books have been nominated for every major American literary prize, including the Pulitzer, the National Book Award, and the National Book Critics Circle award. He is Chief Convener of the Presidential Counselors, a group of distinguished historians and heads of cultural institutions that advises the CEO of the National World War II Museum. Miller is currently working as chief historical consultant and script editor on four major film projects and working on two books.
