Elliot Ackerman

Author, Journalist, Former Marine Officer, Former CIA Officer

American Los Angeles, California

Quick Info

ProfessionAuthor, Journalist, Former Marine Officer, Former CIA Officer
NationalityAmerican
Date of Birth12/04/1980
Age46 years
BirthplaceLos Angeles, California

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Bio/Wiki

SummaryNew York Times bestselling author and decorated veteran who served in the U.S. Marine Corps and CIA. Known for novels exploring military themes and memoirs about America's wars in the Middle East.

Educational Qualification(s)

UndergraduateHistory and Literature from Tufts University
GraduateMaster's degree in International Affairs from Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University (2003)
Military TrainingGraduated first in his class at Quantico

Personal Life

ResidencesDivides time between New York City and Washington, D.C.
ChildhoodBorn in Los Angeles, grew up in London from age 9, graduated high school in Washington, D.C.

Career

Military Service
BranchU.S. Marine Corps
Duration2003-2011 (8 years)
Positions
  • Infantry Officer
  • Platoon Commander (1st Battalion, 8th Marines)
  • Marine Special Operations Officer
  • Marine Raider
Deployments5 tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan
Notable ActionsLed rifle platoon in Battle of Fallujah (2004), primary combat advisor to 700-man Afghan commando battalion
Awards
  • Silver Star
  • Bronze Star for Valor
  • Purple Heart
CIA Service
PositionSpecial Activities Officer, Ground Branch
DurationBrief attachment during military service
Government
White House FellowYes
Writing & Journalism
Novels
  • Green on Blue
  • Dark at the Crossing
  • Waiting for Eden
  • Red Dress in Black and White
  • 2034: A Novel of the Next World War
  • 2054 (co-authored with Admiral James Stavridis)
  • Halcyon: A Novel
  • Sheepdogs
Memoirs
  • Places and Names: On War, Revolution, and Returning
  • The Fifth Act: America's End in Afghanistan
Publications
  • The New Yorker
  • The Atlantic
  • The New Republic
  • The New York Times Magazine
  • Esquire
  • TIME
  • CNN
RecognitionIncluded in The Best American Short Stories and The Best American Travel Writing. Books nominated for the National Book Award, the Andrew Carnegie Medal in both fiction and nonfiction, and the Dayton Literary Peace Prize.
Current RoleContributing writer at The Atlantic, Senior Fellow at Jackson Institute (Yale)
Journalism CoverageCovered Syrian Civil War since 2013 from Istanbul, covered wars in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria, and Russia-Ukraine conflict

Style Quotient

Writing StyleCombines novelist's skill with language, reporter's eye for detail, and lived military experience

Some Lesser Known Facts

1. Was an accomplished skateboarder in London during childhood, regularly skating at the Undercroft beneath the Southbank Centre
2. Made decision to join Marine Corps in 1998, before 9/11
3. Led a 75-man platoon that aided in relief operations in post-Katrina New Orleans
4. Studied ROTC at Tufts University
Information on this page is collected from public sources and may not be 100% accurate. Report an error
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