Authors Nicholas Reynolds and Katie S. Sanders discuss their new WWII history book Ortiz's War

Bards Alley welcomes local historian Nicholas Reynolds and veteran journalist Katie S. Sanders as they share the story of World War II spy Peter J. Ortiz. Join us to learn about his fascinating exploits!

In their book Ortiz’s War: The Allies’ Secret Weapon Against the Nazis in France (out August 25), Reynolds and Sanders chronicle Ortiz’s life from his childhood travels and stint in the French Foreign Legion to his daring undercover work for the Office of Strategic Services during WWII. Bards Alley bookseller and institutional partnerships lead Diane Naughton will moderate the discussion.

We will have “Ortiz’s War” available for purchase and signing. To preorder a copy, call the store at (571) 459-2653 or reserve it as an add-on during registration.

Attendance is free. RSVP here: eventbrite.com/e/authors-nicholas-reynolds-katie-s-sanders-ortizs-war-tickets-1993625209669

ABOUT THE BOOK

Peter J. Ortiz’s path to becoming the most battle-decorated member of America’s first spy agency—and one of the most decorated Marines of World War II—was unlike any other. Born in New York and raised between California and France, he would have stints as a merchant seaman, dude ranch manager, race car driver, lion tamer, circus performer, and Hollywood stuntman and actor. As a teenager, Ortiz ran away from boarding school in France to join the French Foreign Legion. He first experienced combat in North Africa against tribesmen in the Sahara. Fighting on the front lines against the Germans in 1940, he was badly wounded and captured. He repeatedly escaped, one time fleeing a hospital train after assuming the identity of a dead soldier.

Docking in the US the day after Pearl Harbor, Ortiz enlisted in the Marine Corps. As someone who could speak French like a native--and get by in Arabic, German, and Spanish--the dashing former Legionnaire immediately stood out. Instead of being deployed to the Pacific like the majority of Marines, Ortiz was recruited by the Office of Strategic Services (OSS)—America’s World War II forerunner to the Central Intelligence Agency—for special operations in North Africa and Europe.

In 1944, Ortiz parachuted into France on two top-secret inter-Allied missions. Operating deep behind enemy lines, he traveled throughout Southeastern France—at times donning his Marine uniform—arming and training the Maquis, blowing up Nazi infrastructure, and aiding downed Allied airmen. Rotating his many covers—including as a fashion designer and minor Vichy government official—he infiltrated Nazi gatherings and funneled intelligence about German positions back to OSS London ahead of D-Day. By the time he escaped across the Pyrenees, he was among the Gestapo’s most wanted.

A rare Marine in the European Theater, Ortiz's story is one of extraordinary courage, resistance, and self-sacrifice.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS

Nicholas Reynolds has worked in the field of modern history off and on for 40 years, with some unusual detours. Freshly minted PhD from Oxford University in hand, he joined the Marine Corps in the 1970s, serving as an infantry officer and then as an official historian. As a colonel in the Reserves, he was Officer in Charge of Field History, deploying historians around the world to capture history as it was being made. For many years, he worked at CIA, most recently as the historian for the CIA Museum, where he drafted the strategic plan for the next decade and wrote a foundational monograph as well as shorter pieces and many labels. He still believes he has held the best two niche jobs in the US Government. Leveraging his experience, he has taught at the Naval War College, Johns Hopkins University, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. He has also tried his hand at farming, writing a novel, and mountain climbing. One of his proudest moments was making it to the glaciated peak of Mt. Baker in the Cascades at the age of 64. With his wife, the gifted healer Becky, he cares for rescue pugs and lives within commuting distance of the Library of Congress, where he can be found on a rainy day.

Katie S. Sanders is an award-winning journalist with 15+ years of experience who has written for leading outlets, including Vanity Fair, National Geographic, Smithsonian, and Washington Post Magazine. She has also managed media relations and content creation at the startup Jopwell and supported Google engineers on product localization and community initiatives. She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania, where she was a Benjamin Franklin Scholar, and lives in Brookline, Massachusetts with her family. Ortiz's War is her first book.

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