Major General Robert E. Wagner, USA (ret.) “completed the Reserve Officer's Training Corps curriculum and the educational course of study at Virginia Military Institute in 1957, he was commissioned a second lieutenant and awarded a Bachelor of Arts in English. He also holds a Master of Science degree in International Relations from George Washington University and is a graduate of the National War College.

General Wagner served two combat tours in Vietnam. His unit command experience has been in infantry and armor and includes command of a tank battalion, an armored cavalry squadron, the Second Armored Cavalry Regiment for three years, and Assistant Division Commander (Maneuver) of a mechanized division.”  Major General Robert E. Wagner is the author of The Sampan War.

According to the book description of The Sampan War, “It is the year before Tet ‘68, the huge battle that will dramatically change the course of the Viet Nam War. The Viet Cong are preparing for this campaign under the noses of the Americans and their Vietnamese allies. The VC need Hoa Luu District in the Southern Delta as a staging area for Tet ‘68. The U Minh Regiment must acquire the canals and the province road, allowing its troops to deploy and move rapidly northeast to attack populated areas. Hoa Luu offers the gateway for success. A few dedicated Americans attached to a District Advisory Team and the Hoa Hao, fierce Delta fighters, stand in their way.The Sampan War is a novel based on historical events and personal observation. It tells the story of people on both sides pulled into the vortex of violent conflict for Hoa Luu District in the year before Tet ‘68. In a wider context, the novel describes the central tragedy of the Viet Nam War, the dashed hope of thousands of simple people who trusted us. Even today the specter of Viet Nam provides a sobering backdrop for the war on terrorism.”