Bernard C. Nalty

Born in Omaha, Nebraska, Bernard C. Nalty earned a B.A. from Creighton University in 1953, served as a U.S. Army officer from 1953 to 1955, and then completed an M.A. in American history at The Catholic University of America in 1957.

He went on to spend nearly four decades as a historian with the United States Marine Corps, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Office of Air Force History, retiring in 1994 as a senior historian. Colleagues remembered him as the most prolific historian in the history of the Air Force history office.

Nalty wrote widely on American military history, especially the Vietnam War, Marine Corps operations, and the history of Black service members in the U.S. military. Among his notable books are Strength for the Fight: A History of Black Americans in the Military, Air Power and the Fight for Khe Sanh, and The War Against Trucks, works that reflect his gift for combining careful research with direct, readable storytelling.