Lanning was born in Sweetwater, Texas to James Maurice and Alice Coskey Lanning. He married Linda Moore of Roby, Texas on December 20, 1967. They have two daughters, Reveilee Ann (b. December 5, 1969) and Meridith Moore (b. November 8, 1972). He currently resides in Phoenix, Arizona.
Upon graduation from Texas A&M University in 1968 Lanning was commissioned a second lieutenant and received infantry, airborne, and ranger training at Fort Benning, Georgia. After a tour as an platoon leader in the 82d Airborne Division at Fort Bragg, NC he reported to Vietnam where he served as an infantry platoon leader, reconnaissance platoon leader, and rifle company commander in the 2d Battalion, 3d Infantry of the 199th Light Infantry Brigade. Subsequent tours of duty took him throughout the United States and Germany as he served as an instructor in the U.S. Army Ranger School, a mechanized infantry company commander in the 3d Infantry Division, and executive officer of an infantry battalion in the 1st Cavalry Division. Non command assignments included Public Affairs Officer for the 1st Cavalry Division and I Corps and the plans officer for the Department of Defense American Forces Information Service.
Lanning is the author or co-author of 17 non-fiction books on military history. More than a million copies of his books are in print in fifteen countries, and editions have been translated into eleven languages. He has appeared on major television networks and the History Channel as an expert on the individual soldier on both sides of the Vietnam War.
Books
The Only War We Had: A Platoon Leader's Journal of Vietnam New York: Ivy Books/Random House, 1987.
Vietnam 1969-1970: A Company Commanders Journal New York: Ivy Books/Random House, 1988.
Inside the LRRPs: Rangers in Vietnam New York: Ivy Books/Random House, 1988.
Inside Force Recon: Recon Marines in Vietnam (with Ray Stubbe) New York: Ivy Books/Random House, 1989.
The Battles of Peace New York: Ivy Books/Random House 1992.
Inside the VC and NVA: The Real Story of North Vietnam's Armed Forces (with Dan Cragg), New York, Fawcett Columbine, 1992.
Vietnam at the Movies New York: Fawcett Columbine, 1994.
Senseless Secrets: The Failures of U.S. Military Intelligence From George Washington to the Present. New York: Birch Lane, 1996.
The Military 100: A Ranking of the Most Influential Military Leaders of All Time. New York: Citadel, 1996.
The African-American Soldier: From Crispus Attucks to Colin Powell. New York: Birch Lane, 1997.
Inside the Crosshairs: Snipers in Vietnam New York: Ballantine, 1998.
Defenders of Liberty: African-Americans in the Revolutionary War New York: Kensington, 2000.
Blood Warriors: American Military Elites New York: Ballantine, 2002.
The Battle 100: The Stories Behind History's Most Influential Battles Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 2003.
Mercenaries: Soldiers of Fortune From Ancient Greece to Today's Private Military Companies. New York; Ballantine, 2005.
The Civil War 100: The Stories Behind the Most Influential Battles, People, and Events of the War Between the States. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 2006.
The Revolutionary War 100: The Stories Behind the Mot Influential Battles, People, and Events of the American Revolution. Naperville, IL: Sourcebooks, 2008.
