Our discussion with COL (R) L. Scott Lingamfelter, author of Desert Redleg and Yanks in Blue Berets. 

L. Scott Lingamfelter was born in Richmond, VA. He then attended the Virginia Military Institute, graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate, and commissioned in the Army as a Field Artilleryman in 1973. As a combat artilleryman with the 1st Infantry Division during Operation Desert Storm, he helped plan and execute the largest field artillery assault on enemy forces since World War II. He was then selected to command the 6th - 37th  FA BN in South Korea. After many assignments worldwide, including Germany, South Korea, and the Middle East, he rose to the rank of Colonel.  Following his service in numerous combat units, the Defense Intelligence Agency, as a Political-Military Officer in the Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, and as a senior advisor on Special Access Programs to the Secretary of the Army, the Chief of Staff of the Army, and the Vice Chief of Staff of the Army, he concluded his military career as Military Assistant to the Director, Operational Test and Evaluation of the Office of the Secretary of Defense.  He retired in 2001 after 28 years of active duty service. Since retirement he gained significant experience in the war-torn Middle East as a US Army Military Observer with the United Nations Truce Supervision Organization, working with both Observer Group Syria and Observer Group Lebanon in the midst of armed turmoil. He has also worked for the private sector focused on strategic planning in support of the senior leadership for the US Missile Defense Agency in Washington, D.C.  Additionally, he has worked in the emergency management, homeland security, and border security arena in support of Federal agencies, states, and localities. Elected to the Virginia House of Delegates from 2002 to 2018 representing Prince William and Fauquier Counties, he was a prominent voice for both fiscal and social conservatism in the General Assembly. Since retiring from the General Assembly, he authored his first book, Desert Redleg: Artillery Warfare in the First Gulf War (University Press of Kentucky, 2020) and a second book Yanks in Blue Berets: American UN Peacekeeping in the Middle East that will be released on 4 July 2023 (University Press of Kentucky). He has started another book on reviving the revolutionary spirit of America’s founding fathers in today’s culture. Colonel Lingamfelter routinely contributes to the commentary page of The Washington Times on a range of political and national security topics.