"But then I remember September 11th happened, and everybody sort of knew--we’d all been put on notice that things were going on--and suddenly the potential that you would be seeing direct combat increased exponentially." (Video interview, 11:15)

Elliot Leedom Ackerman

Elliot Ackerman at time of interview War: Iraq War, 2003-2011; Afghan War, 2001- Branch: Marine Corps; Marine Corps Unit: 1st Battalion, 8th Marine Regiment; 2nd Marine Special Operations Battalion Service Location: Iraq; also: Kunar Province, Afghanistan; Herat Province, Afghanistan; Paktika Province, Afghanistan; Farah Province, Afghanistan Rank: Captain

Captain Elliot Ackerman remembers being a typical laidback "California kid" as a child, but by the time he entered college he was determined to become a Marine and serve in special operations. Commissioned as a second lieutenant in May 2003, his classmates lamented that they had “missed the war” in Iraq, but by the time they finished training, a virulent insurgency had developed there, and Ackerman found himself leading an infantry platoon in combat six weeks after graduation. He later served as one of the early members of Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) as a Team Leader, and deployed to Afghanistan in this role in 2008. After leaving the Marine Corps, he also served in the Central Intelligence Agency before becoming a successful author, and he has published several novels related to the experience of war.