Gary Vogler’s long-awaited book, Iraq and the Politics of Oil, An Insiders Perspective, on the US government’s role in the Iraq oil sector is currently available to order for November delivery by the University Press of Kansas and other book outlets.
Was the Iraq war really about oil? As a senior advisor for the Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) and briefly as the minister of oil, Gary Vogler thought he knew. But while doing research for a book about his experience in Iraq, Vogler discovered that what he knew was not the whole story – or even the true story. The Iraq war did have an oil agenda underlying it, one that Vogler previously denied.
The following is a back-cover comment that shares observations from a notable reader:
Retired Lieutenant General Jay Garner, 2003 ORHA Leader
“This important book provides the reader with a mosaic of the Iraq oil story from 2002 to 2011; it is written by the one American who experienced and contributed to all of it. Gary Vogler describes the details of our country’s prewar oil planning, followed by the challenges of executing those plans once inside of Iraq. As a former army officer and oil industry executive, Gary was uniquely qualified to be the senior oil advisor to both the U.S. Coalition and the newly formed Iraqi Government. His advice, experience and leadership was instrumental in re-starting the Iraqi oil sector. This is a must read for all senior military and foreign service officers.”
Iraq and the Politics of Oil is published by the University Press of Kansas.
Clinton Speegle ’03 associate at Lightfoot, Franklin & White LLC has been named to the Birmingham Business Journal’s“Rising Star Lawyers” for 2017 in the publication’s October issue. Honorees are selected based on their contributions to their firm, tangible results in their practice areas and involvement in the community, among other factors. “This is a much-deserved honor for Clint, and we’re happy to see his work and dedication recognized,” said Lightfoot managing partner Wynn M. Shuford. “In his time at Lightfoot, he has taken on leadership in the firm, grown his practice and also serves the community.” Speegle is a member of the firm’s NCAA Compliance and Investigations and Aviation and Aerospace practice teams. He is a former U.S. Army attack helicopter pilot and drafted the Army’s standard operating procedures for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). In keeping with his interest in all things that fly, Speegle serves on the board of directors for the Alabama Business Aviation Association, and is its general counsel. He was recently elected to serve on the board of the Public Affairs Roundtable Council of America (PARCA) and was also selected for the Birmingham Bar Association’s Future Leader Forum. 
Seth Bodnar was named President of the University of Montana and will take office, starting January first. Bodnar is a Rhodes scholar with two masters degrees from Oxford University and currently an executive at General Electric. Lee Banville, the University Faculty Association’s spokesman, says the union is optimistic and this could be a new era for UM. "I think what will become really apparent very quickly is how deep is that commitment to being transparent about decision making," Banville said. "Will he start by tackling some of the budget issues the university faces by turning inward, or opening up the process and bringing more people to the table so these decisions can be made more in the open?"
Lennox International Inc. announced Gary Bedard as EVP, President and COO of its Worldwide Refrigeration business. "With Gary's strong operating experience and customer focus, our global refrigeration business is well positioned to continue winning in the marketplace." said Todd Bluedorn, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Lennox International. Bedard has a proven record of success at Lennox International over two decades, including the last ten years as Vice President and General Manager of our highly successful Lennox Residential business. Prior to joining LII in 1998, Bedard spent eight years at York International in product management and sales leadership roles for commercial applied and unitary systems as well as residential systems. 
The following classes have added updates this week to their Class Notes pages. 1956 | 1965 | 1973 | 1987 | 2003 | 2007.
On October 19, 2017, The West Point Association of Graduates presented the 2017 Thayer Award to George W. Bush, the 43rd President of the United States. In its 60-year history, the Thayer Award has been given to scientists and astronauts, jurists and scholars, members of the clergy and members of Congress, and three former presidents of the United States, including Bush’s father, President George H.W. Bush, the 1994 recipient.
On October 12, 2017, former Captain, Dave Swanson spoke to USMAPS about his struggles with going to USMAPS from being an Enlisted Soldier. His book, The Dot on the Left describes the struggles of having the lowest SAT score in the class, while overcoming challenges in all areas of the Prep School and in life.
During the Army vs Temple football game on Oct. 21, Rona Wenik P’18, Gleam Davis P’19, Ann Johnston P’20 and Jennifer Tarry P’21 represented West Point parents in presenting a check for $2,600,000 to the United States Military Academy. Joining them on the field were the President and CEO of the West Point Association of Graduates, Todd Browne ’85 and Shelisa Baskerville, Annual Giving Parent Relations Manager. Accepting on behalf of West Point was LTG Robert Caslen Jr. ’75, 59th Superintendent of the U.S. Military Academy. This outstanding gift raised by West Point Parents will support Margin of Excellence programs which allow all cadets to reach their highest potential. Thank you to all our parents and families for their tremendous support!
Florida Panthers Owner and Governor Vincent J. Viola announced that General (Retired) Raymond T. Odierno has been appointed Florida Panthers Chairman and Alternate Governor.
Unisys Corporation announced that Chris Bauer has joined the company as group vice president for civilian agencies for Unisys Federal. In his new role, Bauer is responsible for delivering integrated Unisys solutions to multiple Unisys federal government civilian agency clients across several departments. He reports to Venkatapathi "PV" Puvvada, president of Unisys Federal. Bauer previously served as executive vice president and general manager at AECOM Corp., where he was responsible for the successful operation of multiple government contracts and for leading the prioritization of business development resources. Prior to that, he was a sales executive at Dell, directing and overseeing the company's go-to-market group for clients in the U.S. government intelligence community.
Darrin Anderson has joined the Cook & Boardman Group, a leading specialty distributor of commercial metal and wood doors, door frames, and door hardware, as its new Chief Executive Officer. Headquartered in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and operates thirty locations and sales offices across twelve states. Darrin Anderson has held several leadership positions at industrial companies across his nearly thirty-year career, including Chief Operating Officer of Crescent Electrical Supply Company, Regional and Operational Vice President at HD Supply, General Manager at SIRVA, President at Alliant Foodservice and various Management positions at Kraft Foods. Mr. Anderson served as a Scout Platoon Leader in Operation Desert Storm. He earned a Masters of Business Administration from Lake Forest Graduate School. 
BBMC led in part by Todd Jones '94; President, Retail Mortgage, and Dave Romano '91; Vice President of Veteran Development & Recruiting, were honored with the United Service Organizations (USO) Salute to Leadership Award at this year’s USO of Illinois Star Spangled Gala. BBMC has donated a total of $172,350 to the USO of Illinois since 2015 through their Patriot’s Charity program which allows eligible borrowers to donate $150 of their closed loan proceeds to one of four charity partners at closing, one loan at a time. BBMC works with the USO of Illinois at the No Dough Dinner at Great Lakes Naval Base, Clark After Dark and the annual Memorial Day Parade in Chicago every year. This fall, BBMC Mortgage became the face of a national campaign in partnership with the USO Pathfinder organization to provide free VA home loan education classes to active service and ETS’ing families at military installations across the United States. In Spring 2017, BBMC opened its first branch operated and maintained exclusively by veterans in Georgetown, Texas.
Graduates CPT Meghan Curran '09, CPT Chelsea (Prahl) Kim '12, and CPT Jennifer Comfort '15 led the All-Army team to a dominating win against the other services in the 
John Howard has released the book First In, Last Out: An American Paratrooper in Vietnam with the 101st and Vietnamese Airborne. Fresh out of West Point, John Howard arrived for his first tour in Vietnam in 1965, the first full year of escalation when U.S. troop levels increased to 184,000 from 23,000 the year before. When he returned for a second tour in 1972, troop strength stood at 50,000 and would dwindle to a mere 50 the following year. He thus participated in the very early and very late stages of American military involvement in the Vietnam War. His two tours—one as a platoon commander and member of an elite counterguerrilla force, the second as a senior advisor to the South Vietnamese—provide a fascinating lens through which to view not only one soldier’s experience in Vietnam, but also the country’s. Available on Amazon.
On Friday, October 27, 2017, the Frederic V. Malek West Point Visitors Center was unveiled during a ribbon cutting ceremony. The West Point Association of Graduates is honored to dedicate the newest top-flight, gift-funded building with state-of-the-art exhibits highlighting West Point’s innovative programs for developing leaders of character to serve the nation. 
Mark Kamish ’83 narrated a recently released audiobook version of Designing Gotham: West Point Engineers and the Rise of Modern New York, 1817-1898. This history, written by former USMA history instructor and assistant professor Jon Scott Logel, tells the story of West Point graduates who came to New York City before, during and after the Civil War, and how those grads leveraged their professional relationships and military experiences to influence the transformation of New York into a modern metropolis by 1898. Kamish is a former artillery officer, corporate manager and criminal defense attorney.
Mount St. Mary’s University celebrated the inauguration of its 26th president, Timothy E. Trainor, Ph.D. More than 1,000 students, faculty, staff, alumni and distinguished guests gathered in Knott Arena, PNC Sports Complex for the installation ceremony and Trainor's inaugural address, which focused on the theme of preparing students to lead lives of significance. Trainor broadcasted the message that Mount St. Mary’s is poised to build on that proud history. “The most significant history regarding the Mount is yet to be written; it will be that created by our current and future students and seminarians. And we will prepare them to do so by carrying out our new mission statement,” Trainor said. The mission statement, approved by the Board of Trustees earlier this month as part of a strategic plan, states: “As a Catholic university, Mount St. Mary’s graduates ethical leaders who are inspired by a passion for learning and lead lives of significance in service to God.” 
Robert D. Boyd's law firm, Boyd Collar Nolen & Tuggle received their sixth recognition as a “Tier 1” Atlanta family law firm, recognized in the 2018 edition of U.S. World News and World Report’s “Best Law Firms.” The firm’s high-ranking results from positive client feedback, peer reviews and exceptional demographic evaluations honored by colleagues within the Atlanta Bar.