Dan Hampton Biography

High stakes and dangerous situations are no stranger to retired U.S. Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and best-selling author Dan Hampton. The decorated veteran shares his extraordinary experiences in his most recent book, "Viper Pilot: A Memoir of Air Combat," as an elite Wild Weasel fighter pilot.

As the first planes to fly into enemy territory, the Weasels’ responsibility is to skillfully root out the enemy and then return to destroy the threats, making the air safe for fellow pilots to follow. From 1986 to 2006, Hampton flew more than 150 combat missions in the iconic fighter jet, F-16 “Fighting Falcon,” or “Viper,” as the pilots call it. In addition to spearheading the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Hampton also served on the Air Combat Command staff in Langley, VA, during the Kosovo conflict and designed the NATO campaign that destroyed the Yugoslav army’s air defenses around Sarajevo. Now in retirement, Hampton has published articles in The Journal of Electronic Defense, Air Force Magazine, and Airpower Magazine, as well as several classified tactical works for the USAF Fighter Weapons Review. He has been a guest on FOX and Friends, spoken to audiences at the Pritzger Museum, the US Naval Academy, the US Air Force Academy, the Pentagon, the Canadian Military Academy, and colleges and schools across the country.

In addition to his literary merits, Hampton has a long list of military achievements, including four Distinguished Flying Crosses with Valor, a Purple Heart, eight Air Medals with Valor and five Meritorious Service Medals. He is a graduate of Texas A&M University, the USAF Fighter Weapons School, USN Top Gun School (TOGS), and USAF Special Operations School. Hampton occasionally does contracts for various private military companies and enjoys driving fast cars, riding horses and drinking martinis. Among other things, he's sailed and dived across the Caribbean, climbed the Pyramids and run with the bulls in Pamplona.

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