Meet the Author
Lieutenant Colonel (U.S. Army, retired) John K. Rieth spent a twenty-two year career as an infantry and military intelligence officer. Rieth grew up in Warwick, RI, a son of Kurt Rieth, a WWII veteran of the 7th Field Artillery Observation Battalion. With an eventual assignment to Germany following his father’s death, Rieth met and formed a deep bond with a group of veterans from his father’s unit, and began to amass data on the experiences of the 7th FAOB. Ultimately, the 7th FAOB Association asked him to prepare a history, and in support of the book, veterans and family members produced hundreds of personal accounts. Fusing these oral histories with official records, his father’s own letters and other published works, the story of Patton’s premier field artillery observers emerged.
Lt. Col. (ret.) Rieth has a B.S. from the University of Rhode Island and a M.S. in Public Administration from Golden Gate University. He retired from active Army service in 2003 and is currently employed by the U.S. Government.