Lieutenant Colonel David E. Kelly received his commission in 1971, and served as an infantry officer with Lima Company, 3rd Battalion 4th Marines with an Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG) off the coast of Vietnam in 1972-73. Prior to retirement from the Reserves in 1999 he was Operations Officer for the Marine Field History Detachment. He volunteered to return to active duty to deploy to Iraq in 2004 as senior Field Historian in order to conduct interviews with Marines and Navy personnel at all levels in Iraq. He is a retired high school teacher living in Springfield, Pennsylvania.
""...filled with all the details troops noticed while securing Iraq and fending off insurgent ambushes and other attacks.""-- ""Historical Miniatures Gaming Society"" ""Essential reading for all military historians, and civilians who have always wondered what it's like to be a Marine. What makes this series remarkable is that Kelly interviewed his contributors in the battle zone where Marines face life-and-death decisions every day during their lengthy tours in Iraq. He documents the extraordinary unsung courage and bravery that modern-day Marines endure as they execute their mission that the general public takes for granted.""--Richard Lyntton, former British army tank commander in Operation Desert Storm and author of the Deception series ""Lt. Col. David E. Kelly has done it again! From the gripping title to his closing thoughts, he has brought a slice of recent Marine Corps history to life. His technique--part diary, part narrative, part oral history--creates a powerful 'you are there' effect. This is the royal road to learning what actually happened, one highly recommended to anyone interested in the first two years of Operation Iraqi Freedom, and, especially, how Marines in eight-wheeled monsters forged an unbeatable team with the infantry.""--Colonel Nicholas Reynolds, USMC (Ret.), NR, New York Times best-selling author and former head of USMC Field History ""In this book we see Marines behaving as professionals with grace under fire to reverse the gains of the Iraqi insurgency in 2004. Colonel Kelly has given us valuable insights into how our military 'got it done' through their bravery, esprit de corps and military expertise. Eight-Wheeled Warriors and Grunts is well worth reading. Place it on a special shelf in your library.""--Paul J. Sanborn, historian (Ret.), Freedoms Foundation, Valley Forge, PA., Military Intelligence Analyst (Ret.)