Major Ray Gleason, USA (ret.) “is a retired infantry major of the United States Army.  He has been awarded several commendations and decorations, including the Combat Infantry Badge (CIB), Bronze Star with V (Valor), and the State of New York Humanitarian Service Medal.  Gleason was also granted the State of Ohio Commendation Medal and Vietnam Cross of Gallantry with Gold Palm.  He is currently a lecturer at Northwestern University’s School of Continuing Studies in Chicago.  Gleason received a Ph.D. (1997) in Medieval Literature and an MA (1989) in English Literature from Northwestern University. He also received a BA (1974), Summa Cum Laude, Phi Beta Kappa, in English Literature and European History from Hunter College in New York.  He has taught literature and writing at Mundelein College, Lewis University and William Rainy Harper College.  Gleason is on the Leadership and English faculties of the Culver Academies in Culver, Indiana.”  Major Ray Gleason is the author of A Grunt Speaks: A 'Devil's Dictionary' of Vietnam Infantry Tales and Terms.

According to the book description of A Grunt Speaks: A 'Devil's Dictionary' of Vietnam Infantry Tales and Terms, “What was it like to be a nineteen year old US Army infantryman in the highlands of Vietnam in the late 'sixties? Major Ray Gleason’s book, A Grunt Speaks: A 'Devil’s Dictionary of Vietnam Infantry Tales & Terms from Unlimited Publishing LLC, uses the terminology and concepts of the Vietnam-era infantry to explore the infantrymen’s attitudes toward their role in the war, the anti-war movement, their enemies and each other.

Gleason, a combat veteran, retired Infantry officer, college professor in literature, and ethics teacher brings a fresh, and at times humorously ironic, perspective on the experiences of young Americans in combat and their struggles to re-integrate themselves into a society that seemed at times hostile and embarrassed by what they represented.

Much more than just a glossary of Vietnam-era lingo, this fascinating compendium also gives the reader an insider’s view of real combat in the jungles of southeast Asia.”