Larry Kerr served in the U.S. Army from 1964 to 1974. After graduation from Infantry Officer Candidate School, he served two tours in Vietnam, the first as an infantry platoon leader with the 101st Airborne Division, the second as an A-team leader with the 5th Special Forces Group. He also served in the Dominican Republic, Germany, and at several U.S. posts. In 2004, Kerr retired from a twenty-five year career in the U.S. Department of State as a Senior Foreign Service Officer. His last State Department assign-ment was with the National Defense University in Washington, D.C., where he was Associate Professor of National Security Strategy, lead-ing seminars in the history of the great empires, the history of military thought, and the national security process. Earlier assignments includ-ed diplomatic postings to Mexico, Singapore, Guatemala, Georgia, and Chile. Laurence and his wife Omie live on Bainbridge Island, a ferry ride from Seattle. He is the author of Captain Billy and the Lunatic, a book of poems largely drawing on the Vietnam experience. His current project is a history of the Mobile Strike Force Command in Vietnam.