William Shanks is the author of "The Renegade Patriot," a story of war, love, treachery, and murder during the CIA's secret war in Laos. He is a U.S. Navy veteran who served aboard the aircraft carrier, Constellation, during the Vietnam war. He later worked as a private contractor in Vietnam and as a maintenance advisor for a CIA gunship platoon in Udon, Thailand. During the final months of the "secret" war in Laos, he served as a flight mechanic with the CIA airline, Air America. He has worked and lived in Vietnam, Thailand, Laos, Iran, Alaska, Hawaii, and California. He graduated from Fresno State University where he studied geology and creative writing. He now splits his time between Chiang Mai, Thailand and Fresno, California. .