About The Author

<body topmargin=0 leftmargin=0 marginheight=0 marginwidth=0> <table cellpadding=0 cellspacing=0 border=0><tr> <td valign="top" colspan=2 height=80 BGCOLOR="#000000" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> General Issue Blues  </div> <div> <A HREF="sonnygratzer_com1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="General Issue Blues "><U><B>Home</B></U></A><A HREF="sonnygratzer_com1.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="General Issue Blues "><U><B> </B></U></A><B> </B><B> </B><B>About The Author</B><B> </B><B>  </B><A HREF="readers_comments.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Readers Comments"><U><B>Readers Comments</B></U></A><B>  </B><A HREF="awards___decorations_.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Awards Decorations "><U><B> Awards & Decorations</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="id18.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Airborne Ranger"><U><B>Airborne Ranger</B></U></A><B>   </B><A HREF="id30.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Jungle Warfare School"><U><B>School of The Americas</B></U></A><B>   </B><A HREF="general_issue_blues4.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Order Direct"><U><B>Order Direct</B></U></A><B>   </B><A HREF="id6.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Order Amazon"><U><B>Amazon.Com</B></U></A><B> </B><A HREF="general_issue_blues24.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Song Writing"><U><B>Song Writing</B></U></A></div> <div> <A HREF="general_issue_blues23.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Family"><U><B>Sonny's Family</B></U></A><B>   </B><A HREF="id37.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Links"><U><B>Links</B></U></A><B>   </B><A HREF="id40.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Books In The Works"><U><B>Books in the Works</B></U></A><B>  </B><A HREF="scrapbook_photos.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Scrapbook"><U><B>Scrapbook</B></U></A><B>   </B><A HREF="id55.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Sounds Of Viet Nam"><U><B>Sounds </B></U></A><B>  </B> <A HREF="id63.htm" TARGET="_top" TITLE="Leaflets"><U><B>Propaganda leaflets</B></U></A></div> <bR> <bR> <div> </div> </td> </tr><tr> <td valign="top" width=210 BGCOLOR="#111111" TEXT="#F7F7FF"> <div> <IMG SRC="38c7df80.jpg" border=0 width="125" height="248" ALIGN="BOTTOM" HSPACE="0" VSPACE="0"></div> <div> Capt. Gratzer US Army Ret.</div> <bR> </td> <td valign="top" height=400 BGCOLOR="#FFFFFF" TEXT="#080000"> <div> About The Author </div> <div>  <img src="HTMLobj-331/aniGif.gif" border="0" align="bottom" width="110" height="122">  </div> <div> <B>George Michael "Sonny" Gratzer was born in Eveleth, Minnesota on 5 May 1940, and raised from infancy in Butte, Montana.  A graduate of Butte Public High School and the University of Montana (BA History '63, MFA-Creative Writing '76), he was commissioned a US Army Officer in ROTC.  He completed Airborne and Ranger training at Fort Benning, GA.  He served with the 4th Armored Division in Germany where he commanded Co B, 2nd Bn, 54th Inf and later was Bn XO of the same unit and was awarded the Expert Infantryman's Badge and the Army Commendation Medal.  A trip to Panama earned him the Jungle Expert Patch.  He then served in the 1st Infantry Division in Viet Nam where he commanded Co B, 2nd Bn, 2nd Inf. His other military decorations and awards include the Silver Star </B><B>(1st Oak leaf Cluster)</B><B> Soldiers Medal, Bronze Star w/Valor (1st Oak leaf Cluster) Purple Heart (1st & 2nd Oak Leaf Clusters), Army Commendation Medal (1st & 2nd Oak Leaf Clusters), Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry (Silver and Gold Stars), National Defense Service Ribbon, Vietnamese Campaign Ribbon w/2 stars, the Vietnamese Service Medal w/device, and the Combat Infantryman's Badge.  He was medically retired as a Captain in 1968.  He is a Life Member of the VFW, ROA, MOAA, DAV, MOPH, American Legion, US Army Ranger Association,Honorary Life Member of The Khe Sanh Veterans, NRA, PVA, and is a 32 degree Scottish Rite Freemason. Sonny has four grown children - Kurt, Dana, Mike, Rachel - and nine grand kids.  He writes stories, poems and songs at homes in Missoula, MT and Finley Point on Flathead Lake.</B></div> <div> <B> <embed src="HTMLobj-905/Mond_1.mid" autostart="true" hidden="true">  </B></div> <div> <B>All Rights Reserved © 2000 by Sonny Gratzer</B></div> </td> </tr></table></body>