Major Gerard M. Devlin was commissioned an Infantry Officer upon graduation from Officer Candidate School, 18 April 1958. His first duty assignment was as a Platoon Leader with Bravo Company, 9th Battalion, Fort Jackson, South Carolina. | His subsequent duty assignments include: Company Commander, 7th Battalion, 3rd Infantry Division, West Germany; Military Assistance Command, 1st Battalion, 31st Vietnamese Army, Vietnam; Senior American Advisor, 44th Vietnamese Ranger Battalion, Vietnam; S3, 25th Infantry Division, U.S. | After retiring from the Army, Major Devlin gained national acclaim as an author. His books Paratrooper, Silent Wings, and Back to Corregidor appeared on the New York Times bestsellers list. He was involved as a researcher and subject matter expert in two documentary films on PBS. He was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame in 1995. | His military awards include the Distinguished Service Cross, Bronze Star Medal w/ V device and 4 Oak Leaf Clusters, Air Medal, Purple Heart, ARCOM, AAM, VSM, Gallantry Cross with Palm, Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Senior Parachutist Badge. | He served as the Senior American Advisor to the Vietnamese Ranger Battalion, one of the most combat proven and elite formation in the Vietnamese Army. He earned a Bronze Star for his actions under fire in directing allied air cover and evacuating wounded personnel during the fierce fighting at Kien Long. His actions during the infamous battle of “Blood River” at Thoi Lai earned him the Distinguished Service Cross. During the battle, most of the Ranger command group was killed, and despite sustaining serious wounds, Captain Devlin rallied the unit and directed a successful defense that ultimately repelled the insurgent attack. His wounds were so severe that he was not expected to recover, and was evacuated out of Vietnam.