Dennis Foley is a former special forces officer who fought in the
Vietnam War
The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...
and is the author of the Jim Hollister series of military fiction novels. Since retiring from the military, he has written for television and film and served as a technical adviser for television and film.
Military service
Foley joined the army before he was drafted into the military from high school and attended basic training at
Fort Dix
Fort Dix, the common name for the Army Support Activity (ASA) located at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, is a United States Army post. It is located south-southeast of Trenton, New Jersey. Fort Dix is under the jurisdiction of the Air Force A ...
. It was there that he became fascinated by the
Airborne Special Forces after seeing a recruiting pitch made by two
Rangers
A Ranger is typically someone in a military/paramilitary or law enforcement role specializing in patrolling a given territory, called “ranging”. The term most often refers to:
* Park ranger or forest ranger, a person charged with protecting and ...
. He arrived in Vietnam in December 1965 and was assigned to command the
Tiger Force
Tiger Force was the name of a long-range reconnaissance patrol unit of the 1st Battalion (Airborne), 327th Infantry, 1st Brigade (Separate), 101st Airborne Division, which fought in the Vietnam War from November 1965 to November 1967. The unit ...
of the 1st Battalion of the
327th Infantry Regiment
The 327th Infantry Regiment (Bastogne Bulldogs) is an infantry regiment of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) of the United States Army. During World War II, the 327th was a glider-borne regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. It fough ...
. He remained with that unit until 1967. Foley went on to command a long range patrol company, a Ranger company, two rifle companies, two special forces teams, and an airborne battalion headquarters company. These postings took him to Germany, Vietnam, Thailand, and elsewhere in South East Asia. At one point, he was assigned to the teaching staff of the Command and General Staff College at
Fort Leavenworth
Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth, Kansas, Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., an ...
, where he was a Tactics and Special Operations instructor.
Civilian life
In 1982, Foley retired from the military after 20 years of service. He has since worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood, an author, and a writing instructor.
His list of works includes ''Long Range Patrol'', ''Night Work'', ''Take Back the Night'', A Requiem for Crows, and ''Special Men''.
Bibliography
*
Television credits
Writing
*''
MacGyver'', "
The Golden Triangle" episode (1985)
Technical advisor
*''
She's in the Army Now
''She's in the Army Now'' is a 1981 American made-for-television military comedy film starring Kathleen Quinlan, Jamie Lee Curtis, Melanie Griffith, Susan Blanchard and Julie Carmen, directed by Hy Averback. It premiered as the '' ABC Friday Nig ...
'' (1981)
*''World War III'' (1982)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Foley, Dennis
Living people
Year of birth missing (living people)
American male novelists
Recipients of the Silver Star
American male screenwriters
United States Army soldiers
United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War
20th-century American novelists
American male television writers
American television writers
Place of birth missing (living people)
20th-century American male writers