Leroy E. "Skip" Vogel was born in Bruno, Saskatchewan, Canada, but spent most of his childhood in Nebraska and Minnesota. After graduating from Concordia University, St. Paul, Minnesota, he enrolled at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, where he was awarded the degree of Master of Divinity. He later earned the Master of Sacred Theology degree at Lutheran Theological Seminary in Philadelphia and pursued doctoral studies at Harvard University. Skip served for 20 years in the United States Navy, and retired as a Captain. He served on major ships of the line, at the Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland, and at various Naval Stations in the United States and abroad, including Antarctica. He participated in numerous key missions in Southeast Asia, and was awarded an array of medals and decorations.

In the 1980s, Skip further pursued his interests in history and religion, writing a book titled History, Harmony, and the Hebrew Kings. He taught courses in religious history, public policy, and politics and American life at Concordia Seminary. Skip and his wife, Gloria, live in retirement in Spring Valley, Minnesota. He has four children and twelve grandchildren.

Vogel’s co-writer, Jerome "JD" Hamilton made a dual contribution to this novel. He is the persona of its leading character, Lain Byrd. In addition, his diary and "letters home" retained from Navy days were integral to shaping the novel's story line and developing the profiles of the leading characters. JD served as a Yeoman in the Navy for four consecutive Commanding Officers aboard a major ship of the line and completed several deployments to the Mediterranean and South America. Following his service, he completed the Department of Defense Industrial Security Training program and was employed by a large federal contractor in Washington, D.C. He currently resides with his wife and three children in Cabot, Arkansas, where he has established three entrepreneurial businesses. His most recent venture involved developing a new data base locator (www.tractor-fax.org) involving the agricultural and construction equipment industry. He is currently writing a novel of his own reflective of another aspect of Navy life.

According to the book description, “Skip Vogel's CONSTANT BEARING - DECREASING RANGE: The Collision of Public Policy and National Defense is a compelling character-driven story of intrigue, tragedy, honor, and humor within the U.S. Navy as it was undermined by the questionable efforts of American politicians and social engineers as they attempted to integrate low aptitude personnel and criminals into our naval forces, and the unfortunate consequences that resulted from these policies.”