A Hoosier by birth, Fred received a bachelor’s degree in American History at Purdue University in 1966 and a master’s degree in Public Relations at The American University (Washington, DC) in 1983.
A career Marine officer, he served in South Vietnam as a platoon commander; a reconnaissance company commander and battalion executive officer; security company commander at the Presidential Retreat at Camp David; director of the Joint Public Affairs Bureau in Beirut, Lebanon (1983); and spokesman at the Defense Department for Latin American Affairs from 1984-1986.
As a public affairs officer (GS-1035) in the Federal Government, he served in the following agencies and departments: Department of Energy; Department of Defense; Department of State; Naval Sea Systems Command; and the National Security Agency.
A Silver Owl member (25 years) of the National Press Club, Fred has also been an accredited member (APR) of the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) since 1988. He has also served as a senior judge for the annual Silver Anvil Awards competition during the past ten years.
He has worked with, or held posts in, numerous organizations that are military- or defense-related throughout the past years, including the National Defense Industrial Association, Marine Corps Combat Correspondents Association, and the National Marine Corps Council. Most recently, he served as the Director of Communication for the Korean War Veterans Association and currently is the Director of Communications for the Iwo Jima Association of America.
A recognized writer, Fred is a frequent contributor to the Marine Corps Gazette and Leatherneck magazines, and has been a source of information for several publications including the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, Washington Times, Marine Corps Times, and Foreign Affairs.
Fred continues to plan and conduct media and cultural training for senior officials in the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Diplomatic Security; students in the program management course at the Defense Acquisition University; and officers attending the Marine Corps Command and Staff College.
