Dick Couch is an American author,

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an academic rank at universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who professes". Professors ...

, and former U.S. Navy SEAL.

Early life and education

Couch was born in Mississippi and raised in Southern Indiana. He graduated from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (US Naval Academy, USNA, or Navy) is a federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as Secretary of the Navy. The Naval Academy ...

in 1967. After attending Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH) controller training, he reported aboard the naval destroyer . He graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) Class 45 in 1969, and was the class Honorman. He graduated first in his class at the Navy Underwater Swimmers School and the Army Free Fall (

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) School. As Whiskey

Platoon Commander {{unreferenced, date=February 2013 A platoon leader (NATO) or platoon commander (more common in Commonwealth militaries and the US Marine Corps) is the officer in charge of a platoon. This person is usually a junior officer – a second or firs ...

with

SEAL Team One The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sm ...

Vietnam Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making i ...

, he led one of the few successful

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person who is held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of w ...

rescue operations of that conflict.

Career

Following his release from active duty service in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

, Couch served as a

maritime Maritime may refer to: Geography * Maritime Alps, a mountain range in the southwestern part of the Alps * Maritime Region, a region in Togo * Maritime Southeast Asia * The Maritimes, the Canadian provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, and Prin ...

and paramilitary case officer with the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...

. In 1997, he retired from the Naval Reserve with the rank of Captain. At that time, he held the senior command billet in the SEAL reserve community.

Personal life

Couch and his wife, Julia, live in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. To the north, it shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border with the province of British Columbia. It borders the states of Montana and Wyomi ...

. However, he is currently serving as a Professor of Ethics at the

Bibliography

Fiction

*''Seal Team One'' (1991 ) *''Pressure Point'' (1993; 2006 ) *''Silent Descent'' (1994 ) *'' Rising Wind'' (1996 ) *''The Mercenary Option'' (2003 ) *''Covert Action'' (2005 ) *''Tom Clancy Presents: Act of Valor '' (Novelization of film of the same name, 2012 ) *''Tom Clancy's Op-Center: Out of the Ashes'' (with George Galdorisi, 2014 ) *''Tom Clancy's Op-Center: Into the Fire'' (with George Galdorisi, 2015 )

Non-fiction

*''The Warrior Elite: The Forging of SEAL Class 228'' (2003 )"The Warrior Elite: The Forging of SEAL Class 228," book review by Jennifer M Price. Sea Power. Washington: Apr 2002.Vol.45, Iss. 4; pg. 99. "His insider's view draws the reader in and makes the book a fast and enjoyable read" *U.S. Armed Forces Nuclear, Biological And Chemical Survival Manual 2003 *''The Finishing School: Earning the Navy SEAL Trident'' (2005 ) *''Down Range: Navy SEALs in the War on Terrorism '' (2006 ) *''Chosen Soldier: The Making of A Special Forces Warrior'' (2007 ) *''The Sheriff of Ramadi: Navy SEALs and the Winning of al-Anbar'' (2008 ) *''A Tactical Ethic: Moral Conduct in the Insurgent Battlespace'' (2010 ) *''Sua Sponte: The Forging of a Modern American Ranger'' (2012 ) *''Always Faithful, Always Forward: The Forging of a Special Operations Marine'' (2014 ) *''By Honor Bound: Two Navy SEALs, the Medal of Honor, and a Story of Extraordinary Courage'' Tom Norris and Mike Thornton, with Dick Couch (2016 )

References

External links

Dick Couch Interview on USNI BlogC-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Couch, May 8, 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Couch, Dick Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century American novelists American military writers Novelists from Idaho Place of birth missing (living people) People from Mississippi People from Blaine County, Idaho People from Indiana in the Vietnam War United States Navy captains United States Navy SEALs personnel United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War United States Naval Academy alumni 21st-century American novelists American male novelists United States Navy reservists 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers