Lt Colonel John Mangan

Rescue Pilot - Novelist - Public Speaker

John Mangan author of Into A Dark Frontier: A Novel and The Three Rings Mindset. John Mangan Books.

Lt. Col. John Mangan

Lt. Col. (R) John Mangan is a decorated combat rescue pilot, novelist and proud father. While a cadet at the Air Force Academy, he earned his parachute and glider pilot wings, and was an instructor at the Survival Escape Resistance & Evasion (SERE) school.

After graduation, he attended Undergraduate Pilot Training and became a Combat Search and Rescue pilot flying the HH-60G, Pave Hawk helicopter. His 25-year career saw him flying rescue missions from the storm tossed seas of Iceland, to the skies of Japan and Korea. He deployed eight times to Turkey, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria, and commanded the 33rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron in Kandahar. His actions in combat have been documented in the books Not a Good Day to Die, None Braver, Zero Six Bravo, and Dead Men Risen.

John has flown combat missions with every branch of the US military to include PJs, SEALs, Delta, Rangers, the SAS and Australian Commandos. A veteran of over 200 combat missions, John has been awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross with Valor twice, The Air Medal twelve times, the Aerial Achievement Medal twice, and the 2009 Cheney Award.

Now retired from military service, John shares his hard won lessons and insights through his writing and on the public speaking circuit. His debut novel, Into a Dark Frontier, is a gritty neo-western set in near future Africa that won a silver medal from the Military Writers Society of America.

With his latest book, The Three Rings Mindset, Lt Colonel Mangan provides readers with a combat-proven way to think, train, and perform. Readers of this book learn how to perfect their personal training programs, master their emotions, direct their focus, and unlock their highest potential for personal achievement. Whether you are aiming to improve your performance in the cockpit, the boardroom, or just looking to improve your resilience, this book delivers on every level.

Raised skateboarding and surfing in Southern California, John still chases waves, hunts elk, and gardens, though he admits to “having a black thumb that can kill a cactus.” A passionate student of ancient history, John travels globally visiting ancient archaeological sites.