Edward J. Erickson was born in Norwich, NY and is professor of military history at the US Marine Corps University. He retired from a long distinguished US Army career which included service in senior positions in Europe and the Middle East, in particular in Turkey and Iraq. He is one of the foremost authorities on the Ottoman Army during the Great War. Among the many articles and books he has published are Ordered To Die: A History of the Ottoman Army in the First World War, Defeat in Detail: The Ottoman Army in the Balkans 1912-1913, Gallipoli: The Ottoman Campaign and Gallipoli: Command under Fire.