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Sergeant Major Dan Cragg, USA
(ret.) “served in the United States Army from 1958 to 1980, retiring with the rank of Sergeant Major. He served
two tours of duty in Vietnam, 1962-63 and 1965-69 as well as tours of duty in Germany, Italy, and South Korea. From 1985-2003,
worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, DC as a management analyst; member, Fairfax County History Commission,
1997-2003; auxiliary police officer, Fairfax County PD, 1996-2002. During his tour of duty in the US Army received, among
other awards the Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal and the Vietnam Service Medal, with eleven campaign stars.”
Dan Cragg is the author of Guide
to Military Installations; The Soldier's Prize; and, Generals in Muddy Boots: A Concise Encyclopedia of Combat Commanders.
Dan Cragg is the co-author of 13 books in the Starfist Series: First to Fight; School of Fire; Steel Gauntlet;
Blood Contact; Technokill; Hangfire; Kingdom's Sword; Kingdom's Fury; Lazarus Rising; A World of Hurt; Flashfire;
Firestorm; and Wings of Hell. Dan Cragg is also the co-author in three books in a Star Wars
series. Three books in the Starfist: Force Recon Series. And,
a co-author of Top Sergeant and Inside The VC And The NVA: The Real Story of North Vietnam's
Armed Forces.
According to the book description of
Backshot, “An exciting new special-ops adventure from the battle-tested vets who created the
popular Starfist series. Jorge Lavager, charismatic leader of the mysterious Union of Margelan, ferociously guards an agricultural
research facility on the planet Atlas.” According
to the book description of First to Fight: Book One of Starfist, “Stranded in a hellish alien
desert, stripped of their strategic systems, quick reaction force, and supporting arms, and carrying only a day's water
ration, Marine Staff Sergeant Charlie Bass and his seven-man team faced a grim future seventy-five light-years.” According to the book description of Pointblank:
Starfist Force Recon Book II, “A Confederation army is besieged on the planet Ravenette, cut off by and
facing destruction at the hands of a dozen Secessionist Coalition worlds arrayed against it. The outnumbered and outgunned
forces cling precariously to their foothold, dubbed.”
According to the book description of
Starfist: Blood Contact, “Through three centuries of interstellar travel, intelligent alien
life- forms had never been encountered until now. When a scientific team exploring an obscure planet fails to make its regular
communications check, the Marines of third platoon are sent to investigate.” According to the book description of Starfist: Firestorm, “Combat
vets David Sherman and Dan Cragg know firsthand the courage, sacrifice, and hell of war–and their experiences have made
the popular Starfist novels thrill rides of the highest order. Now the explosive action continues on the remote planet Ravenette,
where the Marines of the Confederation’s 34th Fleet Initial Strike Team.” According to the book description of Starfist: Flashfire, “Packed
with hard-core action written by battle-savvy combat veterans, the explosive Starfist series has become hugely popular across
America. Now the saga of the courageous Marines continues in Flashfire, as the 34th Fleet Initial Strike Team (FIST) ventures
to the edge of Human Space to fight a number of enemies.”
According to the book description of
Starfist: Force Recon: Recoil, “Swift, silent, and deadly–they strike where no one else
dares. Fear is the fastest-growing crop on Haulover, a newly colonized planet where someone–or something–is destroying
isolated farmhouses. The unseen enemy strikes without warning, then disappears, leaving no stone standing, no trace of families
or farm animals. When the Confederation receives a desperate.” According to the book description of Starfist: Hangfire, “Six agents have died hideously
trying to penetrate the crime families behind a vast empire of pleasure and debauchery-- Now it's up to the Marines to break the circle. Most people
will visit Havanagas only in their dreams, for few can afford the exclusive resort planet that recreates ancient worlds and
caters to.” According to the book description of Starfist:
Kingdom's Fury, “A few good Marines beat the fierce, fanatical aliens once before. But that was a
skirmish–not a full-scale invasion. The truth is out. No longer are the Skinks just a horrible secret haunting the Marines
of Company L. Now the aliens are all-too-real invaders whose savage attacks have devastated planet Kingdom.”
According to the book description of
Starfist: Kingdom's Swords, “The Marines were told it was a simple peasant rebellion–but
the mission proved to be far deadlier. Gunny Charlie Bass isn’t the only Marine mystified by the
order sending the entire 34th to put down a few seditious serfs on planet Kingdom. Rumors swirl of a deadly alien invasion...
According to the book description of Starfist:
Lazarus Rising, “The hugely popular Starfist saga featuring Marines at war in outer space is the only
military science fiction series written by real combat vets: David Sherman and Dan Cragg. Now comes the explosive hardcover
debut of this series–packed with hell-torn action and blazing adventure” According to the book description of Starfist: Steel Gauntlet, “after
the resource-rich planet Diamunde is seized by the armed forces of industrialist Marston St. Cyr, the Confederation Marines
face their most desperate battles yet against the mechanized forces of the bloody usurper. Promised a walkover by military
planners, instead the Marines must.”
According to the book description of
Starfist: Technokill, “A terrifying secret, an evil coterie of ruthless masterminds, a murderous
battle of cunning and deadly skill--it's time to send in the Marines! After the Confederation makes a shocking discovery
on an alien world, a nefarious band of opportunists from the highest echelons of power plot to steal the vast riches for.” According to the book description of Starfist:
School of Fire, “Combat, betrayal, and murder at the edge of human space. Deployed to assist the oligarchs
of Wanderjahr in putting down a rebellion that threatens the planet's political and economic stability, the Marines must
fight two wars at the same time one against the resourceful, well-led.”
According to the book description of
Guide to Military Installations, “This thoroughly revised 6th edition includes information
such as location; history and mission; major units stationed there; housing, schools, and transient billets; and local attractions.
Six maps show the location of installations world-wide. Individuals, libraries, schools, the media, and private DOD contractors
will want this comprehensive source of military installation information. It is invaluable for service members and civilians
doing business with the military.” According
to the book description of Generals in Muddy Boots: A Concise Encyclopedia of Combat Commanders,
“An authoritative reference on military history provides informative profiles of the lives and exploits of three hundred
skilled combat commanders, from Alexander the Great to Joan of Arc and beyond.”
According to the book description
of Top Sergeant, “Bainbridge grew up in Illinois and volunteered for the
draft when he graduated from high school in 1943. He ended his military career in 1979 as sergeant major of the army - the
highest enlisted grade. His memoir, written with Cragg (The Soldier's Prize), reflects the stereotypical values of rural
America: hard work, discipline and self-confidence. Bainbridge was a citizen soldier, deciding to make the army his career
only when recall for duty in the Korean War ended his chances to become a farmer. While he proved himself in combat, his career
also highlights the complex, tripartite role of senior NCOs as fighters, administrators and advisers to the officers. Bainbridge
consistently sought input from subordinates. Just as consistently, he told superiors the truth as he saw it?but with enough
tact to keep his stripes and add to them. This is the story of a man who served both his country and himself well.”
The Library Journal said of
Inside The VC And The NVA: The Real Story of North Vietnam's Armed Forces, “Written by two U.S. Army
veterans of the Vietnam War, this study blends history, eyewitness accounts, and data from a RAND Corporation study and other
military sources to draw an intimate, candid portrait of the Viet Cong/North Vietnamese Army that is unexpected and often
startling. Under a capable leadership and remarkably effective logistical network, these volunteers, draftees, and even dragooned
subjects displayed resolve, tenacity, and, most impressively, patience; a selection of comments from the American officers
and enlisted men who fought against them bears witness to the respect they inspired. The authors also provide a short history
of the country since American withdrawal. An absolute necessity for Vietnamese studies collections and a revealing document
for anyone connected with this conflict.”
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