MEET THE AUTHOR
BEHIND THE STORIES
Commander David D. Bruhn, U.S. Navy (Retired) served twenty-two years on active duty and two in the Naval Reserve, as both an enlisted man and as an officer, between 1977 and 2001.
He is a graduate of California State University, Chico, and has Masters degrees from the U.S. Naval Postgraduate School and U.S. Naval War College.
During his career, Bruhn served aboard six ships including command of the mine countermeasures ships USS Gladiator (MCM-11) and USS Dextrous (MCM-13) in the Persian Gulf. Ashore, he did two three-year tours in the Pentagon. During the first one, he was assigned to Secretary of the Navy and Chief of Naval Operation staffs as a budget analyst and resources planner. His final assignment was to the Secretary of Defense staff as executive assistant to a senior (SES 4) executive at the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization in Washington, D.C.
Following military service, he was a high school teacher and track coach for ten years, and remains an avid Track & Field fan. He lives in northern California with his wife Nancy and has two grown sons, David and Michael.
The below photograph is from 2006, taken for use in Bruhn’s first naval history book, Wooden Ships and Iron Men Vol I, and all ensuing ones.
MESSAGE TO POTENTIAL READERS
The bulk of my books, 28 of 36, are devoted to naval history. Within this genre, the emphasis of my research and writing was on bringing to the fore the contributions of mostly unsung ships and their crews to their navies and nations. But for these books, many little known, but important actions and events would likely otherwise have been consigned to the “dustbin of history.”
It’s not uncommon for someone learning that I had served in the Navy and/or have written books on naval history to tell me that they had a relative who served in the Navy. When I inquire about their service, concerning when and where they served, and aboard which ship(s), they often respond, “I don’t know, he/she did not talk much about their service.”
For those who desire to learn about a relative’s military service, I recommend that you obtain a copy of their “DD Form 214 Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty.” You can find out how to acquire such by doing an Internet search with a query such as, “How do I obtain a DD214?”
Once you have a copy of their discharge papers in hand, you will learn about when and where they served; their rate or rank obtained; decorations, medals, badges, citations and campaign ribbons awarded or authorized, etc. If you then wish to learn more about their sea service, look for a book(s) devoted to the type ship they served on board, and the associated time period and theater of operations. Best wishes.
