Cantigny looks back at combat operations in Iraq with high-ranking officer

Lt. Col. Pat Proctor, an active-duty officer, will discuss his new book, “Task Force Patriot and the End of Combat Operations in Iraq” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 21, at the First Division Museum in Cantigny Park, 1S151 Winfield Road, Wheaton.

Proctor's book documents his personal experiences as an operations officer with Task Force Patriot, the last U.S. combat force to occupy Saddam Hussein's hometown of Tikrit, in 2009.

Proctor is a U.S. Army field artillery lieutenant colonel with 17 years of active service. In 2007, he served in Iraq as a member of General Petraeus' and Ambassador Crocker's Joint Strategic Assessment Team, mapping the future for post-surge Iraq. He returned for a second tour, in Northern Iraq, as a battalion operations officer in the 1st Infantry Division (#8220;Big Red One#8221;). Proctor holds master's of military arts and sciences for strategy and theater operations from the U.S. Command and General Staff College and the School of Advanced Military Studies, respectively. He's currently a doctoral student in history at Kansas State University. A book signing will follow Proctor's presentation and copies of #8220;Task Force Patriot#8221; will be available for purchase.Doors open at 6:45 p.m. Admission and parking are free. For details, call (630) 260-8187.The event is part of the First Division Museum's #8220;A Date with History#8221; series. The monthly programs feature an evening of discussion with authors, panelists, historians and special speakers. Information about upcoming programs is online at FirstDivisionMuseum.org.