William F.X. Maughan
William F.X. Maughan is an American author. His first major work work is a book of short stories AbOUT his experiences as a soldier in the Iraq War in 2005-2006. Published by the University of Chicago Press in April 2009, "The Grappling Hook and other stories from the War in Iraq" http://www.thegrapplinghook.com contains 10 short stories. Though the names,units and events are fictional, they are based on Maughan's actual experiences as a Cavalry Scout patolling the convoy roads in the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. Nine stories are direct accounts of the war experiences, but he included an unrelated story about his grandfather, Hugh A. Halligan, the Deputy Chief of the New York City Fire Department who invented the Halligan tool en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halligan_bar, now a staple firefighting tool in all fire departments all over the world.
Maughan's previous publishings are largely in Theological and Economic Journals and were predominantly written to appeal to niche audiences in those disciplines. "The Grappling Hook..." represents a departure from Maughan's previous, largely scholarly work.
Early Life
William F.X. Maughan was born in the Bronx, NY on January 31, 1957 to a New York City Policeman (William F. Maughan) and a full-time homemaker, formally Maureen T. Halligan. He graduated from St. Anthony's RC School in Nanuet, N.Y. and Albertus Magnus High School [http://www.AlbertusMagnus.net]in Bardonia, New York. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps in 1978, serving at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina and on U.S. Navy warships in the Caribbean and the Mediterranean Seas as an Armored Amphibian Crewchief.
Honorably discharged a Corporal in 1982, Maughan worked full time for I.B.M. in White Plains, New York while pursuing a college education in the evenings. He graduated with a B.S. in Management from Mercy College in Dobbs Ferry, N.Y 1 in 1984 and an M.B.A. from New York University's Stern School [http://www.stern.nyu.edu]in 1987.
Recent Military
After the attacks of September 11, Maughan tried to re-enlist in the Marines and was informed he was too old for ACTIVE duty. Undeterred, he found a National Guard unit in East Stroudbsburg, Pennsylvania that contained a large body of former Marines bound for service in Iraq. Maughan enlisted with his prior Marine Rank (E-4)in 2004, at age 47. He graduated from the National Guard's Primary Leadership Course and the Cavalry Scout School in Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania in the Summer of 2004 and was deployed in January 2005, first to Camp Shelby, Missiissippi, then to Al Asad Air Base in the Western Desert of the Al Anbar Province of Iraq. He served there from June 2005 till June 2006 when he returned home with his unit. He was promoted twice while deploted in Iraq, returning home a Staff Sergeant (E6). He was awarded the Army's Combat Action Badge for "engaging or being engaged by the enemy", the Army Commedation Medal for "exceptionally meritorious service" as well as the usual campaign and deployment ribbons. He was honorably discharged from the Army in April 2008 and returned to civilian life.
Personal
Maughan married prominent Pennsylvania attorney, the former Jane Duffy Roach in 2007. Between them, they have six children, all from prior marriages. They live in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania, where she practices law under the name of Jane Roach Maughan (http://www.roachmaughanlaw.com] and he works as the Fiscal Officer for Casa Gaudalupe Center in Allentown Pennsylvania (http://www.CasaLv.org).