About the Author

Dan Schilling started life as a Newport Beach, CA surf and skateboarding kid in the early 70s before finding his way into the military.

He spent more than 30 years in special operations, primarily as an Air Force Combat Controller and Special Tactics Officer but began military service as an Army infantry paratrooper. His numerous combat, clandestine, rescue, and humanitarian missions have taken him to every continent but Antarctica and include Operation Gothic Serpent, popularly known as Black Hawk Down, where he is credited with saving the lives of a Ranger and Team Six SEAL while under heavy enemy fire. He later conceived, founded, and then served as the first commander of two special operations squadrons, one of which’s name and purpose remains classified. His military qualifications include HALO and static line master parachutist, Special Forces combat diver, parachute rigger, and Combat Control training pipeline instructor. His final military assignment was as the Joint Special Operations Command weapons of mass destruction U.S. interagency and intelligence community director.

In between service he completed three college degrees, managed a university extension campus, and worked as an adjunct professor. During the 2002 Salt Lake Winter Olympics he was responsible for perimeter security of Utah’s Winter Olympic Park which led to his return to the Air Force. For the State of Oregon he initiated and led their international partnership programs with the nations of Vietnam and Bangladesh, forging port and commercial aviation security and law enforcement exchange programs at the ambassadorial and ministerial level.

His passion for parachutes includes 4,000 jumps, certification as a professional demonstration skydiver, being a mountain speed wing pilot, and BASE jump Guinness World Record (201 in 24-hours) in support of the Special Operations Warrior Foundation. He and his wife Julie live in Utah where they endeavor to log a minimum of 120 ski days per season and where he volunteers as an instructor helping people with disabilities to enjoy the freedom of skiing.

On his renaissance journey he’s authored four books, screenplays, articles, started multiple businesses, filed a patent based on his own invention, created a viral video with more than 21 million views, and written and recorded songs with his studio band Spent Brass.

For nearly a decade he developed the film adaptation of his New York Times and international bestseller Alone at Dawn and for two years worked closely with director Ron Howard as an executive producer, senior military advisor, and actor to bring Combat Control’s and John Chapman’s legacies to theaters. He is currently the CEO of Tactical H2O Company which he founded to revolutionize battlefield hydration for American service members and U.S. allies.