Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr.

Samuel W. Mitcham, Jr. is a former professor of military history and historical geography. He taught at Henderson State University, Georgia Southern University, and the University of Louisiana at Monroe. He is also a former visiting professor at the United States Military Academy. At the University of Louisiana at Monroe, he was named "My Favorite Professor" four times by the Baptist Student Association despite not being a Baptist. He was also named Freshman Honor Society's Professor of the Year.

He is the author of over 40 books including Rommel’s Desert War, Hitler’s Legions, Why Hitler? The Genesis of the Third Reich, Vicksburg: The Bloody Siege that Turned the Tide of the Civil War, The Men of the Luftwaffe, Desert Fox: The Storied Career of Erwin Rommel, and Bust Hell Wide Open: The Life of Nathan Bedford Forrest. In addition to writing books, he has also written dozens of articles and appeared on the History Channel, CBS, National Public Radio and the British Broadcasting Network. He is the former adviser to General Norman Schwarzkopf on the CBS Special D-Day.

He is the Holder of the Jefferson Davis Gold Medal for the Writing and Research of Southern History. Mictcham is also the former President and CEO of TelSon Communications, a private $7 million corporation that provided local exchange service in seven states. He attended Northeast Louisiana University, North Carolina State University and received his Ph.D. from the University of Tennessee. Mitcham is also a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot and company commander.