Raymond F. Flaherty 

Master Sergeant Raymond F. Flaherty (6 August 1927-11 September 2006), author of Strangers Brothers, was born August 6, 1927, the eldest of nine children. Raised in Boston, Ray attended public school until World War II interrupted his education. He served aboard ship with the Merchant Marine until he entered the U. S. Army in 1945.

During the Korean War, he was a member of the 9th Airborne Ranger Company and saw ground combat with Company L, 15th Infantry Regiment. There he was awarded the Silver Star, Bronze Star, and Purple Heart Medals and his first award of the Combat Infantryman Badge.

In 1962, Flaherty went to Laos on Operation White Star as a team sergeant of an ‘A’ Detachment from the 7th Special Forces Group.

His first tour in South Vietnam was as a team sergeant of an ‘A’ Detachment from the 1st Special Forces Group in 1963, where he was awarded his second Combat Infantryman Badge.

Ray returned to South Vietnam in 1965 to serve as intelligence sergeant of the 4th Battalion, 173rd Airborne Brigade, then as operations sergeant of a ‘B’ Detachment of the 5th Special Forces Group.

According to Col. Richard O. Sutton, M.D., author of the book Operation White Star, the character known as “Flag” is based on Master Sergeant Raymond F. Flaherty.

He Didn’t Say Good-Bye was Ray’s first novel to be published. Strangers Brothers is the sequel portraying the lives of the next generation, Airborne Rangers, part of the Grenada invasion force.

He Didn’t Say Good-Bye was a contender for the Pulitzer Prize in 2006 and Strangers Brother was a Pulitzer Prize contender in 2009.