Marine Colonel Reflects on Lessons of Vietnam

November 03, 2010

Retired Marine Lieutenant Colonel James Zumwalt will give a special presentation titled "Bare Feet, Iron Will," which will be held on Tuesday, November 16th at 7 PM in the Martin Institute. His discussion will highlight his life in the military and his current involvement in journalistic writings on foreign policy and national defense.

As the son of Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr., the 19th Chief of Naval Operations (1970-1974), Zumwalt was raised in a military environment. Following in his father's footsteps, and indeed in his family's legacy of military service, Zumwalt went on to serve in the Vietnam War, the 1989 Panama intervention, and also Desert Storm.

Now an author, speaker and business executive, he also currently heads a security consulting firm named after his father-Admiral Zumwalt & Consultants, Inc.

He writes extensively on foreign policy and national defense, and has been published in numerous magazines and newspapers, including: USA Today, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and Parade magazine.

His book Bare Feet, Iron Will: Stories from the Other Side of Vietnam's Battlefields was published in April. In its review of the book, The Washington Times said "Bare Feet, Iron Will is a recommended read, especially for anyone who fought in the jungles, the skies or on the waters of Vietnam and their families. It provides hindsight of the first order."

Colonel Zumwal's writings often encourage the reader to think outside the normal realm of thought, and question the policies in place currently.

He has been cited several times by members of Congress and was invited to join the Committee on the Present Danger (CPD), a non-partisan group that works to strengthen American resolve in confronting the challenge of terrorism and the ideologies that drive it.

Colonel Zumwalt was appointed by President George H. W. Bush as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights and Humanitarian Affairs from 1991-1992.

Colonel Zumwalt is featured as one of 56 US military professionals in Leading the Way, a book by best-selling author Al Santoli, which documents the most critical moments of the interviewees' combat experiences from Vietnam to Somalia.

Contact

For more information, contact the Martin Institute at 508-565-1131.