Daniel Ford
Encyclopedia
Daniel Ford is an American journalist
, novelist, and historian
. The son of Patrick and Anne Ford, he attended public schools in New Hampshire
and Massachusetts
, graduating in 1950 from Brewster Academy
in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
. He was educated at the University of New Hampshire
(A.B. Political Science 1954), the University of Manchester
(Fulbright Scholar, Modern European History 1954–55), and King's College London
(M.A. War Studies 2010).
Ford served in the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg
and in Orléans
, France. Following an apprenticeship at The Overseas Weekly in Frankfurt
, Germany, he became a free-lance writer in Durham, New Hampshire
. He received a Stern Fund Magazine Writers' Award (1964) for his dispatches from South Vietnam
, published in The Nation
; a Verville
Fellowship (1989–90) at the National Air and Space Museum
to work with Japanese accounts of the air war in Southeast Asia
; and an Aviation - Space Writers' Association Award of Excellence (1992) for his history of the Flying Tigers
. He is best known for his Flying Tigers research and for the Vietnam novel that became the Burt Lancaster film, Go Tell the Spartans
.
Ford is a resident scholar at the University of New Hampshire. He writes for the Wall Street Journal and Air&Space/Smithsonian magazine, maintains the Warbird's Forum, Piper Cub Forum, and Reading Proust websites, and blogs on War in the Modern World. He soloed in a J-3 Piper Cub at the age of 68 and continues to fly as a sport pilot. Office: 433 Bay Road, Durham NH 03824 USA.
Journalist
A journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, novelist, and historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
. The son of Patrick and Anne Ford, he attended public schools in New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
and Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
, graduating in 1950 from Brewster Academy
Brewster Academy
Brewster Academy is a co-educational independent boarding school located on in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire USA, two hours north of Boston. It occupies 1/2 mile of shoreline along Lake Winnipesaukee...
in Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
Wolfeboro, New Hampshire
Wolfeboro is a town in Carroll County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 6,269 at the 2010 census. A venerable resort area situated beside Lake Winnipesaukee, Wolfeboro includes the village of Wolfeboro Falls...
. He was educated at the University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire
The University of New Hampshire is a public university in the University System of New Hampshire , United States. The main campus is in Durham, New Hampshire. An additional campus is located in Manchester. With over 15,000 students, UNH is the largest university in New Hampshire. The university is...
(A.B. Political Science 1954), the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
(Fulbright Scholar, Modern European History 1954–55), and King's College London
King's College London
King's College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom and a constituent college of the federal University of London. King's has a claim to being the third oldest university in England, having been founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, and...
(M.A. War Studies 2010).
Ford served in the U.S. Army at Fort Bragg
Fort Bragg, North Carolina
Fort Bragg is a major United States Army installation, in Cumberland and Hoke counties, North Carolina, U.S., mostly in Fayetteville but also partly in the town of Spring Lake. It was also a census-designated place in the 2010 census and had a population of 39,457. The fort is named for Confederate...
and in Orléans
Orléans
-Prehistory and Roman:Cenabum was a Gallic stronghold, one of the principal towns of the Carnutes tribe where the Druids held their annual assembly. It was conquered and destroyed by Julius Caesar in 52 BC, then rebuilt under the Roman Empire...
, France. Following an apprenticeship at The Overseas Weekly in Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Germany, he became a free-lance writer in Durham, New Hampshire
Durham, New Hampshire
As of the census of 2000, there were 12,664 people, 2,882 households, and 1,582 families residing in the town. The population density was 565.5 people per square mile . There were 2,923 housing units at an average density of 130.5 per square mile...
. He received a Stern Fund Magazine Writers' Award (1964) for his dispatches from South Vietnam
South Vietnam
South Vietnam was a state which governed southern Vietnam until 1975. It received international recognition in 1950 as the "State of Vietnam" and later as the "Republic of Vietnam" . Its capital was Saigon...
, published in The Nation
The Nation
The Nation is the oldest continuously published weekly magazine in the United States. The periodical, devoted to politics and culture, is self-described as "the flagship of the left." Founded on July 6, 1865, It is published by The Nation Company, L.P., at 33 Irving Place, New York City.The Nation...
; a Verville
Alfred V. Verville
Alfred Victor Verville was an aviation pioneer and designer who contributed to civilian and military aviation. During his 47 years in the aviation industry, he led the design and development of nearly a dozen commercial and military airplanes...
Fellowship (1989–90) at the National Air and Space Museum
National Air and Space Museum
The National Air and Space Museum of the Smithsonian Institution holds the largest collection of historic aircraft and spacecraft in the world. It was established in 1976. Located in Washington, D.C., United States, it is a center for research into the history and science of aviation and...
to work with Japanese accounts of the air war in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
; and an Aviation - Space Writers' Association Award of Excellence (1992) for his history of the Flying Tigers
Flying Tigers
The 1st American Volunteer Group of the Chinese Air Force in 1941–1942, famously nicknamed the Flying Tigers, was composed of pilots from the United States Army , Navy , and Marine Corps , recruited under presidential sanction and commanded by Claire Lee Chennault. The ground crew and headquarters...
. He is best known for his Flying Tigers research and for the Vietnam novel that became the Burt Lancaster film, Go Tell the Spartans
Go Tell the Spartans
Go Tell the Spartans is a 1978 American war film based on Daniel Ford's 1967 novel Incident at Muc Wa, about U.S. Army military advisors during the early part of the Vietnam War in 1964, a time when Ford was a correspondent in Vietnam for The Nation.The film's title is from Simonides's epitaph to...
.
Ford is a resident scholar at the University of New Hampshire. He writes for the Wall Street Journal and Air&Space/Smithsonian magazine, maintains the Warbird's Forum, Piper Cub Forum, and Reading Proust websites, and blogs on War in the Modern World. He soloed in a J-3 Piper Cub at the age of 68 and continues to fly as a sport pilot. Office: 433 Bay Road, Durham NH 03824 USA.
Non-fiction
- A Vision So Noble: John Boyd, the OODA Loop, and America's War on Terror (2010) ISBN 978-1451589818
- Flying Tigers: Claire Chennault and His American Volunteers, 1941-1942 (2007) ISBN 978-0061246555
- Editor: The Lady and the Tigers: Remembering the Flying Tigers of World War II, by Olga Greenlaw (2002) ISBN 978-0595222346
- The Only War We've Got: Early Days in South Vietnam (2001) ISBN 978-0595175512
- Glen Edwards: The Diary of a Bomber Pilot (1998) ISBN 978-1560985716
- The Country Northward (1976)
Novels
- Michael's War (2003)
- Remains: A Story of the Flying Tigers (2000)
- The High Country Illuminator (1971)
- Incident at Muc Wa (1967; translated into Dutch; filmed as Go Tell the SpartansGo Tell the SpartansGo Tell the Spartans is a 1978 American war film based on Daniel Ford's 1967 novel Incident at Muc Wa, about U.S. Army military advisors during the early part of the Vietnam War in 1964, a time when Ford was a correspondent in Vietnam for The Nation.The film's title is from Simonides's epitaph to...
, 1976) - Now Comes Theodora (1965)