Following 25 years of military service as a US Army ranger and paratrooper, Brendan Wilson retired as a lieutenant colonel and then joined NATO where he served as a defense planner and diplomat for the next 15 years. During the course of his 40 years of work as a soldier and diplomat, he saw service in war-torn Libya, Ukraine, Kosovo, Bosnia, and Iraq.
A former coach and team captain for a military martial arts competition team, he holds master ranking (8th Dan) in three different martial arts. He won the silver medal for taekwondo at the 2009 US Open. Wilson was co-founder of a martial arts style, Aristos, which currently has practitioners in ten countries.
In retirement, Wilson turned his efforts to filmmaking. He wrote and produce two award-winning short films: Doug's Christmas and A Child Lies Here; and he served as executive producer for ten episodes of the award-winning web series, Greetings! From Prison.
His science fiction novel, The Achilles Battle Fleet, will be released in October, published by Literate Ape Press. It is available in print, Kindle, and audio editions. During Wednesday's Rotary Club meeting, Wilson announced that club members would have discounted access to the book, and 100% of profits from all purchases using the discount would be given to the Club as a charitable donation. How very generous!
Wilson has a BS in Economics, an MBA, and a Ph.D. in International Relations. He is a graduate of the US Army Airborne, Ranger, and Air Assault schools. His professional publications include topics of military tactics, counter-terrorism, and NATO defense issues.
Moved by seeing human lives upended in war-torn areas, Wilson is earning his law degree and is in his final year. Once qualified as an attorney, he plans to volunteer to help refugees.
Wilson lives a quiet life in Sycamore. He spends his days writing, hiking, studying law, and practicing his martial arts.