Patrick K. O'Donnell is an American author of books on military history.

Career

O'Donnell's writing has appeared in publications such as ''

The Daily Beast ''The Daily Beast'' is an American news website focused on politics, media, and pop culture. Founded in 2008, the website is owned by IAC Inc. It has been characterized as a "high-end tabloid" by Noah Shachtman, the site's editor-in-chief ...

'', ''

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,'' ''Military History Quarterly'' (MHQ), and ''World War II Magazine.'' O'Donnell served as a consultant for the

Medal of Honor The Medal of Honor (MOH) is the United States Armed Forces' highest Awards and decorations of the United States Armed Forces, military decoration and is awarded to recognize American United States Army, soldiers, United States Navy, sailors, Un ...

game franchise. Retrieved on 2018-18-04 In 2012, the

OSS Society Formerly known as the Veterans of the OSS, the OSS Society is the association of veterans of the Office of Strategic Services, dedicated to preserving the legacy of the famed intelligence agency. The Veterans of the OSS was founded in 1947 by ...

presented O'Donnell with the John Waller Award, which recognizes achievement in scholarship related to intelligence and special operations history. O'Donnell currently serves on its board of directors. O'Donnell's book ''We Were One'' was chosen for the Commandant's Professional Reading List and is required reading for Marines. He received the Colby Circle Award for Outstanding Military History for ''Beyond Valour''. ''Washington's Immortals'' was selected as an Amazon Best Book of the Year So Far (History) and was named of the 100 Best American Revolution Books of All Time by the ''Journal of the American Revolution''. O’Donnell served as a research fellow at Mount Vernon's Fred W. Smith National Library.

Personal life

He is a native of

Westlake, Ohio Westlake is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is a suburb located west of downtown Cleveland. The population was 34,228 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The area now known as the city of Westlake was first ...

, and attended

American University The American University (AU or American) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Its main campus spans 90-acres (36 ha) on Ward Circle, in the Spri ...

for his undergraduate studies and

Johns Hopkins Johns Hopkins (May 19, 1795 – December 24, 1873) was an American merchant, investor, and philanthropist. Born on a plantation, he left his home to start a career at the age of 17, and settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where he remained for mos ...

for his graduate work.

Works

* ''Beyond Valor: World War II's Ranger and Airborne Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat''.

Free Press Freedom of the press refers to legal protections for public communications media. Free Press may also refer to: Publications * ''Free Press'' (CPBF), the journal of the Campaign for Press and Broadcasting Freedom * ''Free Press'' (Malayalam magaz ...

, 2001. * ''Into the Rising Sun: In Their Own Words, World War II's Pacific Veterans Reveal the Heart of Combat''. Free Press, 2002. * ''Operatives, Spies, and Saboteurs: the Unknown Story of the Men and Women of World War II's OSS''. Free Press, 2004. * '' We Were One: Shoulder to Shoulder with the Marines Who Took Fallujah''.

Da Capo Da capo ( , , ; often abbreviated as D.C.) is an Italian musical term that means "from the beginning" (literally, "from the head"). The term is a directive to repeat the previous part of music, often used to save space, and thus is an easie ...

, 2007. * ''The Brenner Assignment: The Untold Story of the Daring Spy Mission of WWII''. Da Capo, 2008. * ''They Dared Return: The True Story of Jewish Spies Behind the Line in Nazi Germany''. Da Capo, 2009. * ''Give Me Tomorrow: The Korean War’s Greatest Untold Story – The Epic Stand of the Marines of George Company.'' Da Capo, 2010. * ''Dog Company: Boys of Pointe Du Hoc Rangers Who Landed at D-Day and Fought across Europe''. Da Capo, 2012. * ''First SEALs: The Untold Story of the Forging of America's Most Elite Unit''. DaCapo, 2014. * '' Washington's Immortals: The Untold Story of an Elite Regiment Who Changed the Course of the Revolution''.

Atlantic Monthly Press Grove Atlantic, Inc. is an American independent publisher, based in New York City. Formerly styled "Grove/Atlantic, Inc.", it was created in 1993 by the merger of Grove Press and Atlantic Monthly Press. As of 2018 Grove Atlantic calls itself " ...

, 2016. * ''The Unknowns: The Untold Story of America’s Unknown Soldier and WWI’s Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home.'' Atlantic Monthly Press, 2018 * ''The Indispensables: The Diverse Soldier-Mariners Who Shaped the Country, Formed the Navy, and Rowed Washington Across the Delaware'' Atlantic Monthly Press, 2021 * ''The Unvanquished: The Untold Story of Lincoln's Special Forces, the Manhunt for Mosby's Rangers, and the Shadow War That Forged America's Special Operations'' Grove/Atlantic, Inc., 2024.

References

External links

* http://www.patrickkodonnell.com
Author Interview
on ''Operatives, Spies and Saboteurs: The Unknown Story of the Men and Women of WWII's OSS'' on March 18, 2004, at the

Pritzker Military Museum & Library The Pritzker Military Museum & Library (formerly Pritzker Military Library) is a non-profit museum and research library for the study of military history located in a state-of-the art facility in Kenosha, WI. The institution was founded in 2003, ...

Author Interview
on The Unknowns: The Untold Story of America's Unknown Soldier and WWI's Most Decorated Heroes Who Brought Him Home on May 28, 2018, on

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

. * {{DEFAULTSORT:Odonnell, Patrick K. 21st-century American historians 21st-century American male writers Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American male journalists American male non-fiction writers