Author Colonel Pat Proctor, Ph.D.

The First Division Museum at Cantigny Park welcomes Colonel Pat Proctor, Ph.D., on Wednesday, July 12. He will discuss his recently published book, “Containment and Credibility: The Ideology and Deception that Plunged America into the Vietnam War.”

In “Containment and Credibility,” Proctor explores how the half-truths and outright lies of both the Johnson and Nixon Administrations brought the United States into a conflict costing more than 50,000 American lives over eight years. As the nation considers how best to confront the growing threat of ISIS, the author believes it is increasingly important to understand how we were convinced to go to war in the past.
Dr. Proctor, a veteran of both the Iraq and Afghanistan wars with 24 years of service, writes regularly on current affairs, military history and military simulation topics. He earned his doctorate in History from Kansas State University and holds a master\’s degree in Military Arts for Strategy from the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College. He also holds a master\’s degree in Military Arts for Theater Operations from the highly selective School of Advanced Military Studies. Proctor’s bachelor\’s degree is from Purdue University, in Mechanical Engineering.

Copies of “Containment and Credibility” will be available for sale and a book signing will follow the program. Le Jardin will offer a cash bar and a limited food menu. Coffee is complimentary.

This event is part of the First Division Museum’s Date with History, a monthly series featuring lively discussions with authors, panelists, historians and special guests. Information about upcoming programs is online at fdmuseum.org.

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About the First Division Museum

The First Division Museum at Cantigny Park, part of Robert R. McCormick Foundation, promotes public learning about America’s military heritage and affairs through the history of the “Big Red One”—the famed 1st Infantry Division of the U.S. Army. The museum’s main exhibit hall transports visitors to the trenches of World War I, the beaches of World War II, and the jungles of Vietnam. Outside, tanks are displayed from every era, along with artillery pieces and a personnel carrier. The Robert R. McCormick Research Center, open to the public, houses the museum’s library, archival, and photo collections. The First Division Museum is currently closed for a major renovation with a grand reopening set for August 26, 2017. Visit the museum online at fdmuseum.org.