Thomas L. Clancy, Jr., known to his multitudes of fans as Tom Clancy, was born in 1947 in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated from Loyola College in 1969, became an insurance agent, and in 1973 became the owner of an insurance agency. It was not until 1980 that he started writing military thrillers. Clancy's novels are highly successful, detailed techno-thrillers about espionage, the military and advanced technology. Clancy is so well liked by the military that he has been invited to visit military bases and tour ships. His first bestseller was Red Storm Rising, a fictional military account of a conventionally fought World War 3, published in 1986. His books Hunt for Red October, Patriot… Games, and Clear and Present Danger were so popular they were adapted into major motion pictures. Some other bestsellers by Clancy are The Cardinal of the Kremlin, The Sum of All Fears, and Rainbow Six. Into the Storm: A Study In Command (1997) is part of a nonfiction series cowritten with retired U.S. Army General Fred Franks Jr., commander of the U.S. Army VII Corps, whose job was to defeat Saddam Hussein's Republican Guard during the 89-hour ground war in Desert Storm. Other nonfiction written by Clancy includes Submarine, Armored Cav, Fighter Wing, and Airborne, which describe the workings of military units and their weapons, and Reality Check: What's Going on Out There? Tom Clancy lectures at the FBI, attends meetings at the CIA, and often dines at the White House. He is a member of the U.S. Army Reserve Officers Training Corps.