Patton's Forward Observers History Of The 7th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, Xx Corps, Third Army

Lieutenant Colonel (U.S. Army, retired) John K. Rieth spent a twenty-two year career as an infantry and military intelligence officer. Rieth grew up in Warwick, Rhode Island, a son of Kurt Rieth, a WWII veteran of the 7th Field Artillery Observation Battalion. With an eventual assignment to Germany following his father’s death, Rieth stumbled into contact with a group of veterans from his father’s unit, and began a profound effort to amass data on the experiences of the 7th Field Artillery Observation Battalion. Rieth’s bonds with the veterans grew to the point that the 7th FAOB Association asked him to prepare a history of the battalion. In support of the book, veterans and family members produced hundreds of personal accounts of wartime service. Fusing these oral histories with official records, his father’s own letters and other published works, the story of Patton’s premier field artillery observers emerged. Lt. Col. (ret.) Rieth has a B.S. from the University of Rhode Island and a M.S. in Public Administration from Golden Gate University. He retired from active Army service in 2003 and is currently employed by the U.S. Government in Northern Virginia.Rieth, John K. is the author of 'Patton's Forward Observers History Of The 7th Field Artillery Observation Battalion, Xx Corps, Third Army', published 2004 under ISBN 9781883911621 and ISBN 1883911621.