Wolfgang W.E. Samuel is a German-born American author and a veteran of the United States Air Force.
Background
Born in Germany, ten-year-old Samuel, along with his mother and sister, ran from his home town of Sagan (now Żagań in Poland) in 1945 as the Red Army approached. His mother was raped repeatedly, and his grandfather was killed by German communists. He describes how he and his mother eventually settled near a United States. airbase in western Germany, where his mother met and married an American serviceman.
Education
After the family emigrated to the United States, Samuel attended the University of Colorado at Boulder, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business in 1960, and subsequently the National War College.
Career
As a Flüchtling (refugee), he underwent privation and re-settlement in the post-war years. He served in the United States Air Force for 30 years, retiring with the rank of colonel in 1985. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Medal multiple times during his years of active duty.
As of 2008, he resided in Fairfax Station, Virginia.