ABOUT US

Our Authors

Paul LeFavor

Titles: US Army Small Unit Tactics Handbook, Iron Sharpening Iron, Tactical Leadership, Unto the Thousandth Generation, God's Man, Active Shooter Awareness and Response, The Wild Fields, The Five Warrior Virtues

Paul D. LeFavor retired from the US Army Special Forces in 2009 after twenty years of exemplary service. Paul had the distinct honor and privilege to serve with some of America's best units to include the 1st, 3rd, and 10th Special Forces Groups and Special Forces Operational Detachment - Delta. His civilian education includes a B.S. from Liberty University, a M.A. in Religion from Reformed Theological Seminary and a M.Div. from Liberty Theological Seminary. Among his many activities, Paul teaches leadership and unconventional warfare (UW) at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School and frequently travels visiting various units within the Department of Defense discussing warrior ethics. Paul is married and has two daughters.

Larry Schmidt

Title: Fire In The Jungle

Colonel (Ret.) Larry S. Schmidt retired from the Marine Corps in 1994 after a career that spanned twenty-six years and numerous conflicts. Beginning with Vietnam, in 1968-69, he served as a Rifle Platoon Commander with the Leathernecks of B Co, 1st Bn, 5th Marines, operating in I Corps. From his experiences fighting the Viet Cong, he gained firsthand knowledge of the dynamics of insurgency. Following his service in Vietnam, he distinguished himself in various command and staff assignments which culminated with Operation Desert Storm (1990-91), where he commanded the 8th Marines during the liberation of Kuwait. Larry is married and has two sons.

Charles Tilton

Titles: Confederate Black Ops, Aggie Jokes

Charles L Tilton II was born in Kerrville, Texas. After graduating high school, Charlie attended Texas Lutheran University (TLU) where he discovered his passion for teaching and coaching. While pursuing his degree, the terrorist attack occurred on September 11th and Charlie immediately put his education on hold and enlisted in the US Army on September 12th. The Tilton family has a long lineage of military service that includes the Revolutionary War, War of 1812, Civil War (both sides), WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and Desert Storm. Charlie felt obligated to carry on the family tradition. His first assignment was with the 82nd Airborne Division. Upon returning from Iraq, Charlie attended Special Warfare Training and graduated in March of 2007 earning the coveted Green Beret. He was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 10th Special Forces Group. Charlie has also had the privilege of serving as an instructor at the JFK Special Warfare Center and School. Charlie is married and has one son.

Brian Hargis

Title: Marriage is a Four-Letter Word

Brian Hargis serves as a Chaplain to the U.S. Army but his journey began in 1991 when he enlisted in the Army to be a paratrooper. After fulfilling his active-duty obligation, Brian transitioned to the Ohio Army National Guard and was assessed to become a Green Beret with 2nd Battalion, 19th Special Forces Group (Airborne), serving as a Special Forces Engineer on ODA 955. Serving as a Guardsman and Reservist afforded Brian the opportunity to have a civilian career. He served his community as a police officer for the City of Dayton, Ohio while attending seminary and teaching in local church ministries. In August of 2003, Brian resigned from the Police Department and entered full-time Christian service where he was ordained and ministered as an Assistant Pastor, Youth Minister, hospital and jail Chaplain for the following six years. After completing his Master of Divinity in 2007, he recognized God's direction and decided to become an Army Chaplain. Brian has served as senior pastor to military congregations at Fort Drum, NY, Fort Polk, LA and Fort Bragg, NC. Brian still jumps from airplanes in the U.S. Army, but his real passions are preaching, teaching, counseling, developing leaders and building ministries. Brian is married and has three sons.

Jonathan Owen

Title: #Fail

Jonathan (Joe) Owen is a veteran of the United States Marine Corps having served in both Afghanistan and Iraq as an infantry officer and later in the Marine Corps Reserve as an intelligence officer. Besides his military service, Mr. Owen has served within the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of State and as a lead associate at Booz Allen Hamilton supporting the Marine Corps, Navy, SOCOM, DARPA, and the Intelligence Community. Mr. Owen holds a master’s degree in Security Studies from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with concentrations in counterinsurgency (COIN) and international security policy. Through these academic disciplines, he has authored several articles and publications on the war in Afghanistan, provided COIN classes to the US military, and participated in numerous panel discussions. In addition, he is a corporate technology and innovation board member, inventor, and patent holder. Mr. Owen is currently working as the Senior Director of Government Programs for a data center company. Joe is married with four kids and for leisure he divides his time between D.C. and his farming and real estate operations in the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia.

Chris Imperial

Title: Land Navigation From Start to Finish

Chris Imperial retired from active duty in 2001 after 21 years of service as an Airborne Light Infantryman and Special Forces. Following his retirement, Chris spent a few years serving as a Boy Scout Camp Ranger helping develop America's next generation of warrior leaders, It was during this time Chris was asked if he would be willing to return to the community to teach Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape (SERE) to personnel at high risk of capture within the Department of Defense (DoD) and Other Government Agencies (OGA). Currently, when Chris isn't working as an Independent Contractor, he is busy pursuing his passions; working on air-cooled Volkswagens, building things, or just enjoying life, family, and friends. Chris is married with one son and one daughter.

Patrick O'Kelley

Title: Triple Canopy, Be Cool and Do Mischief

Patrick O'Kelley is a decorated veteran of the 82d Airborne Division , 3rd Ranger Battalion, and the 3rd and 5th Special Forces Group. He served in combat on the island of Grenada, and the deserts of Kuwait and Iraq during Desert Storm. After retiring from the military, he became a Junior ROTC instructor and has since retired from the public school system. Pat continues to serve by assisting in the training of future Green Berets. Pat is also considered an historical expert regarding the Revolutionary War in the Carolinas and has written several highly acclaimed books on the topic. Pat is married and has three daughters.

Michael Balboa

Title: Break Rank, Make Bank

Michael Balboa started out as an infantryman and then went off to college to study finance. Upon graduation from Ohio University, he went into investment banking and then one day decided to trade in $100 bills for 100lb rucksacks to join the ranks of the Special Forces. The tremendous pay cut he took going from Wall Street to Ardennes Street motivated Mike to figure out how he could grow his bank account to make up for the opportunity cost of wearing the green beret. Mike has learned more about building personal wealth from reading hundreds of books, receiving mentorship, and taking timely, decisive action on that information than he ever could have simply working 9-5 on Wall Street. Through relationships, partnerships, and marksmanship, Mike has become a successful author, entrepreneur, and active real estate investor who is passionate about empowering others with the lessons he’s learned and enriching the lives of other veterans.

Gene Klann

Title: The Iconic Warrior Series: The Genesis of a Fighting Warrior, The Warrior's First Battle

Lieutenant Colonel (Retired) Gene Klann, was recently a member of the training faculty at the Center for Creative Leadership. Prior to joining the Center, Gene completed a distinguished twenty-five year career in the U.S. Army, serving in Vietnam, the Cold War in Germany, Panama, the Persian Gulf War, Italy, and Belgium. From 1992-1994, he served as a senior member of the U.S. Military Delegation to NATO in Brussels. Gene earned an PhD in philosophy from the Free University of Brussels and is married with two children and two grandchildren.

Peter Crittenden

Title: Survival Mindset, Thousand Drops of Rain

Peter Crittenden is the son of an Australian ex-patriot who grew up in Sumatra, Bangladesh and Thailand in the 1960s and 1970s before joining the US Army Special Forces. During the course of his military career, Pete travelled extensively throughout the world gaining additional experience in Asia, Africa, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, Australia, and the Americas, and speaks four languages; English, Spanish, French, and Thai. Pete also had the privilege of serving as a survival instructor at the John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Since retiring from the military, Pete has worked as a security consultant and personnel recovery advisor for government agencies and corporate clients. Needless to say, Pete is a professional outdoorsman that has been practicing bushcraft and wilderness survival skills during a lifelong journey beginning with the foundation laid as a child growing up in Southeast Asia and later enhanced and further refined throughout his training and experience as a Special Forces Noncommissioned Officer. Pete is married to an accomplished artist and they have two children.

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