Nathan Sassaman

Who is Nathan Sassaman?

Nathan Sassaman is a retired United States Army officer and the author of the 2008 book Warrior King about his experiences in the Iraq War.

Raised in Portland, Oregon, Sassaman was an A student and the son of a Methodist minister who earned appointments to both West Point and the Air Force Academy, and was also recruited by Princeton. Choosing to attend the U.S. Military Academy, he captained and played quarterback on Army's football team in the 1984 season, in which he helped the team achieve one of its best recent records, exceeding all expectations with an 8-3-1 record. In a heralded victory in the annual Army-Navy Game, Sassaman ran for 154 yards and two touchdowns, and later led Army to a rare post-season appearance with a win over Michigan State in the Cherry Bowl. And reportedly, for much of that '84 season, Sassaman played with three cracked ribs.

Long after his 1985 graduation from West Point, he served in Iraq as commander of the Fourth Infantry Division's 1-8 Battalion in 2003-2004 as a lieutenant colonel. He was awarded a Bronze Star for valor, which he earned for his actions when his patrol came under attack in August 2003. In this engagement, Sassaman had defied heavy machine-gun and R.P.G. fire to drag one of his wounded soldiers from his vehicle. Then he chased down the Iraqi insurgents and killed them. At that time, age 40, Sassaman was considered to be "the most impressive American field commander in Iraq."