Phil Gioia served two combat tours in Vietnam between 1968 and 1970 and was awarded two Silver Stars, a Bronze Star, and two Purple Hearts. A graduate of the Virginia Military Institute, he went on to earn a master's in foreign service from Georgetown and an MBA from Stanford. He has lectured at West Point and Annapolis, published articles in the Journal of Military History, World War II, and Armchair General, and appeared in History Channel programs and in Ken Burns' Vietnam War documentary. He lives in Corte Madera, California.