Paul F. Braim volunteered for service in the U.S. Army at the age of 17, serving as an infantryman in Germany. In the Korean War he was an infantry company commander. His four combat tours as Colonel in Vietnam included service as commander of the 1st Brigade of the 1st Infantry Division and a senior adviser to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. He was commander of the U.S. Support Command for Southeast Asia from 1974 to 1975.  Paul F. Braim retired in 1977 after serving as chief of the training division of the United States Readiness Command. Among his many decorations are three Silver Stars, five Bronze Stars, three Purple Hearts, three Legions of Merit, and the Distinguished Flying Cross.

Paul F. Braim began teaching during his military career.  He was associate professor in military art at the U.S. Military Academy from 1970 - 1983, and lecturer and panelist at the U.S. Army War College from 1970 - 1991. In 1983 he was awarded a Ph.D. in American history by the University of Delaware. In 1987 he joined the social sciences faculty at Embry Riddle Aeronautical University, where he founded programs based on a global perspective. His disciplined scholarship and exemplary service were recognized when he was awarded professor emeritus status upon his retirement in 1999. He was a founder, faculty member and trustee of American Military University.

Paul F. Braim is the author of Will to Win: The Life of Gen. James A. Van Fleet; The Test of Battle: The American Expeditionary Forces in the Meuse-Argonne Campaign; and, the Global assessment handbook.  He is also a co-author of Military Heritage of America.

According to the book description of Will to Win: The Life of Gen. James A. Van Fleet, was “called the Army's greatest combat general by President Truman, James Van Fleet led American and allied forces to battlefield victory during a career that spanned World War I and the Cold War. In this biography, a military historian who commanded a rifle company under Van Fleet in Korea defines the root of Van Fleet's success as devotion to his men and dedication to rigorous field training and mental conditioning. He describes the general's ability to inspire his men with the will to win through two world wars and in the limited wars that followed.”