Doug Norton drew on both experience and research to pen the Code Word novels. As a warship captain during the cold war, Doug held launch codes for nuclear weapons and was prepared to use them, but he also participated in high-stakes international negotiations to reduce their numbers and the chance of nuclear war. In Geneva, Brussels, London, and Washington he experienced diplomacy and politics in tense meetings, glittering receptions, and deadline-driven all-nighters. A graduate of the Naval Academy and of the University of Washington, Doug was a Council on Foreign Relations International Affairs Fellow and Director of International Studies at the Naval Academy. After serving more than twenty-five years, Captain Norton retired from the navy and was an executive recruiter for fifteen years.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Originally from Hawaii, Patrick Naughton is a United States Army officer and a Military Historian. He is currently teaching at the Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. In 2012, he received the Army’s General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award. He has had unique opportunities to serve as an Interagency Fellow with the Department of Labor, a Legislative Liaison to the U.S. Senate, and a Congressional Partnership Program Fellow with the Partnership for a Secure America—all in Washington, D.C. He also served as a Senior Leadership Fellow with the Center for Junior Officers at West Point. Patrick holds a Master of Military Arts and Science degree in History from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College, where he was recognized as an Art of War Scholar. He also holds a Master of Science in Crisis and Emergency Management and a Bachelor of Arts degree in History, both from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, where he was named an Army ROTC Distinguished Military Graduate. Patrick Naughton’s first book, “Born from War: A Soldier’s Quest to Understand Vietnam, Iraq, and the Generational Impact of Conflict,” is now available in hardcover or eBook format through Amazon, directly from Casemate Publishers, and from a variety of other booksellers. The book compares his father’s time in Vietnam with the 82nd Airborne and advising the South Vietnamese Army, to Patrick’s own experience during the Global War on Terror and in Iraq. Though decades of history and politics separate their service, the similarities between their experiences are undeniably striking. The result is an engaging and eye-opening narrative that weaves together the combat experiences of two generations of soldiers. From the failure of grand strategies to personal combat stories, the memories of those lost, and the evolving social challenges facing today’s military—America’s wars against communism and terror are laid bare through the lens of one family’s service.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

After graduating from the University of New Hampshire, Brennan Morton joined the U.S. Marine Corps, where he served as a sniper, breacher, and team leader in 2d Recon. He deployed for two combat tours before opening a gym in Northeastern Pennsylvania, where he currently lives with Christine, his muse, and their daughter Pepper.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.