Dick Couch is an American author,

professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other tertiary education, post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin ...

, and former U.S. Navy SEAL.

Early life and education

Couch was born in Mississippi and raised in Southern Indiana. He graduated from the

United States Naval Academy The United States Naval Academy (USNA, Navy, or Annapolis) is a United States Service academies, federal service academy in Annapolis, Maryland. It was established on 10 October 1845 during the tenure of George Bancroft as United States Secre ...

in 1967. After attending Drone Anti-Submarine Helicopter (DASH) controller training, he reported aboard the naval destroyer . He graduated from Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/S) Class 45 in 1969, and was the class Honorman. He graduated first in his class at the Navy Underwater Swimmers School and the Army Free Fall (

HALO HALO, halo, halos or haloes may refer to: Most common meanings * Halo (optical phenomenon) * Halo (religious iconography), a ring of light around the image of a head * ''Halo'' (franchise), a sci-fi video game series (2001–2021) Arts and en ...

) School. As Whiskey Platoon Commander with

SEAL Team One The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the United States Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the United States Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main funct ...

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

, he led one of the few successful

prisoner of war A prisoner of war (POW) is a person held captive by a belligerent power during or immediately after an armed conflict. The earliest recorded usage of the phrase "prisoner of war" dates back to 1610. Belligerents hold prisoners of war for a ...

rescue operations of that conflict.

Career

Following his release from active duty service in the

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest displacement, at 4.5 million tons in 2021. It has the world's largest aircraft ...

, Couch served as a maritime and

paramilitary A paramilitary is a military that is not a part of a country's official or legitimate armed forces. The Oxford English Dictionary traces the use of the term "paramilitary" as far back as 1934. Overview Though a paramilitary is, by definiti ...

case officer with the

Central Intelligence Agency The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA; ) is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States tasked with advancing national security through collecting and analyzing intelligence from around the world and ...

. In 1997, he retired from the Naval Reserve with the rank of

Captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...

. At that time, he held the senior command billet in the SEAL reserve community.

Personal life

Couch and his wife, Julia, live in

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

. However, he is currently serving as a Professor of Ethics at the

Bibliography

Fiction

*''Seal Team One'' (1991 ) *''Pressure Point'' (1993; 2006 ) *''Silent Descent'' (1994 ) *'' Rising Wind'' (1996 ) *''The Mercenary Option'' (2003 ) *''Covert Action'' (2005 ) *''Tom Clancy Presents: Act of Valor '' (Novelization of film of the same name, 2012 ) *''Tom Clancy's Op-Center: Out of the Ashes'' (with George Galdorisi, 2014 ) *''Tom Clancy's Op-Center: Into the Fire'' (with George Galdorisi, 2015 )

Non-fiction

*''The Warrior Elite: The Forging of SEAL Class 228'' (2003 )"The Warrior Elite: The Forging of SEAL Class 228," book review by Jennifer M Price. Sea Power. Washington: Apr 2002.Vol.45, Iss. 4; pg. 99. "His insider's view draws the reader in and makes the book a fast and enjoyable read" *U.S. Armed Forces Nuclear, Biological And Chemical Survival Manual 2003 *''The Finishing School: Earning the Navy SEAL Trident'' (2005 ) *''Down Range: Navy SEALs in the War on Terrorism '' (2006 ) *''Chosen Soldier: The Making of A Special Forces Warrior'' (2007 ) *''The Sheriff of Ramadi: Navy SEALs and the Winning of al-Anbar'' (2008 ) *''A Tactical Ethic: Moral Conduct in the Insurgent Battlespace'' (2010 ) *''Sua Sponte: The Forging of a Modern American Ranger'' (2012 ) *''Always Faithful, Always Forward: The Forging of a Special Operations Marine'' (2014 ) *''By Honor Bound: Two Navy SEALs, the Medal of Honor, and a Story of Extraordinary Courage'' Tom Norris and Mike Thornton, with Dick Couch (2016 )

References

External links

Dick Couch Interview on USNI BlogC-SPAN ''Q&A'' interview with Couch, May 8, 2011
{{DEFAULTSORT:Couch, Dick Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 20th-century American novelists American military writers Novelists from Idaho Place of birth missing (living people) People from Blaine County, Idaho American people of the Vietnam War United States Navy captains United States Navy SEALs personnel United States Navy personnel of the Vietnam War United States Naval Academy alumni 21st-century American novelists American male novelists United States Navy reservists 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male non-fiction writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers