Harold Lee Wise is an adjunct history professor at Elizabeth City State University. A native of Stumpy Point, North Carolina, he is a graduate of the College of the Albemarle (1999), East Carolina University (2002), and Sam Houston State University (2005). His research specialty is recent U.S. military history. The author of "Inside the Danger Zone: The U.S. Military in the Persian Gulf 1987-88 (Naval Institute Press, 2007)

His thesis topic was the Iraqi attack on USS Stark. An early draft of the thesis won the Ben H. Powell writing award at Sam Houston State. He is a frequent contributor to military history encyclopedias. Wise lives in Manteo, North Carolina,and is married with two children.

Rear Admiral Harold Bernsen USN (Ret.) poses with the author at the March 21, 2007, meeting of the Hampton Roads Association of Naval Aviation at NAS Oceana. ("Speedy" Seay photo)

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“… a clearly written and thoughtfully conceived account… For anyone interested in understanding how the politics of oil, international rivalries, and naval policy intersect, Inside the Danger Zone is a must read.” ---            

James S. Olson, Distinguished Professor of History, Sam Houston State University