Dan Cragg (born September 6, 1939) is an American

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

author.

Biography

Cragg was born in Rochester, Newy York. He served in the United States Army from 1958 to 1980, retiring with the rank of

Sergeant Major Sergeant major is a senior non-commissioned rank or appointment in many militaries around the world. History In 16th century Spain, the ("sergeant major") was a general officer. He commanded an army's infantry, and ranked about third in th ...

. He served two tours of duty in Vietnam, 1962–63 and 1965-69 as well as tours of duty in Germany, Italy, and South Korea. From 1985 to 2003, worked in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Washington, DC as a management analyst; member, Fairfax County History Commission, 1997–2003; auxiliary police officer, Fairfax County PD, 1996–2002. During his tour of duty in the US Army Cragg received, among other awards, the Vietnam Armed Forces Honor Medal and the

Vietnam Service Medal The Vietnam Service Medal is a military award of the United States Armed Forces established on 8 July 1965 by order of President Lyndon B. Johnson. The medal is awarded to recognize service during the Vietnam War by all members of the U.S. Arm ...

, with eleven campaign stars.

Writing career

Cragg writes both military-related fiction and non-fiction.

Non-fiction

*''The NCO Guide'' (1982) *''A Travel Guide to Military Installations'' (1983, 2nd edition published as ''A Guide to Military Installations'', 1988) *''A Dictionary of Soldier Talk'' (1984, with John Elting and Ernest Deal) *''Inside the VC and NVA: The Real Story of North Vietnam's Armed Forces'' (1992, with Michael Lee Lanning). *'' Top Sergeant: The Life and Times of Sergeant Major of the Army William G. Bainbridge'' (1995, with William G. Bainbridge). *'' Generals in Muddy Boots: A Concise Encyclopedia of Combat Commanders'' (1996, with Walter J. Boyne).

As editor

*''Francis Grose, The Mirror's File: Advice to the Officers of the British Army, with a Biographical Sketch of the Life and a Bibliography of the Works of Captain Francis Grose, F.S.A.'' (1978, also wrote introduction). *''Guardians of the Republic (A History of the non-commissioned officer corps of the U.S. Army)'' (1992) *''Operation Thirty-Four Alpha'' (history of U.S.-controlled commando operations in North Vietnam, 1992)

Fiction

*''The Soldier's Prize'' (novel, 1986)

Science fiction

The StarFist Saga ''(with David Sherman)''

*'' First to Fight'' (1997) *'' School of Fire'' (1998) *'' Steel Gauntlet'' (1999) *'' Blood Contact'' (1999) *'' TechnoKill'' (2000) *'' Hangfire'' (2000) *'' Kingdom's Swords'' (2002) *'' Kingdom's Fury'' (2003) *'' Lazarus Rising'' (2003) *'' A World of Hurt'' (2004) *'' Flashfire'' (2006) *''

Firestorm A firestorm is a conflagration which attains such intensity that it creates and sustains its own wind system. It is most commonly a natural phenomenon, created during some of the largest bushfires and wildfires. Although the term has been used ...

'' (2007) *'' Wings of Hell'' (2008) *''

Double Jeopardy In jurisprudence, double jeopardy is a procedural defence (primarily in common law jurisdictions) that prevents an accused person from being tried again on the same (or similar) charges following an acquittal or conviction and in rare case ...

'' (2009)

The StarFirst: Force Recon Saga (with David Sherman)

*''Backshot'' (2005) *''PointBlank'' 2006 *''

Recoil Recoil (often called knockback, kickback or simply kick) is the rearward thrust generated when a gun is being discharged. In technical terms, the recoil is a result of conservation of momentum, as according to Newton's third law the force r ...

'' 2008

Novels not part of a series

*'' Jedi Trial'' (with David Sherman) (2004)

References

External links

Starfist Headquarters (fan site)
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cragg, Dan Living people 1939 births 20th-century American novelists American science fiction writers Military science fiction writers United States Army soldiers United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War University of Maryland, College Park alumni George Mason University alumni 21st-century American novelists American male novelists 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers