John Ringo (born March 22, 1963) is an American science fiction and military fiction author. He has had several New York Times best sellers. His books range from straightforward science fiction to a mix of military and political thrillers. He has over seven million copies of his books in print, and his works have been translated into seven different languages. Life and career Ringo's father "was a civil engineer with an international firm"; before Ringo graduated in 1981 from Winter Park High School in Winter Park, Florida, he had spent time in 23 foreign countries, attending classes at fourteen schools. Among the countries he spent the most time in were Greece, Iran and Switzerland before he settled with his parents and six siblings in Alabama. This amount of travel brought what he refers to as a "wonderful appreciation of the oneness of humanity and a permanent aversion to foreign food." After graduation, Ringo joined the United States Army and rose to the rank of Specialist in the 82nd Airborne Division. During his four years of active duty, he was assigned to the 1st Battalion, 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment, reflagged into 3rd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment when the 82nd reorganized its 3rd Brigade, plus two years of reserve duty with the Florida National Guard. Among his awards are the Combat Infantryman Badge, Parachutist Badge, Army Commendation Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal for his participation in the 1983 United States invasion of Grenada, and the National Defense Service Medal. After discharge, Ringo earned an associate degree in marine biology. However, he quickly discovered that marine biology would only "pay for beans" and became a database manager to support his wife and two daughters. In 1999, he had the idea for a science fiction story that involved an alien invasion and a military response that became the novel A Hymn Before Battle, the title referring to Rudyard Kipling's poem "Hymn Before Action", quoted extensively throughout the book. He submitted the novel to Baen Books. The book was initially rejected, but the publisher Jim Baen, through his discussion with Ringo on the Baen's Bar website forum, personally took a look at the novel and quickly bought it. The success of the book and its sequels allowed Ringo to quit his job and become a full-time writer. As of 2015, John Ringo had written 46 novels, some with co-authors David Weber,