Born in 1946, Barbara Birchim grew up in San Francisco. She is a registered nurse and mother of two grown children. She has given numerous television, radio, and newspaper interviews on the POW/MIA issue. Her many trips to Southeast Asia and Washington, DC, in search of information about her MIA husband led to writing this book. She is an active member in various organizations including the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, Special Forces Association, and Special Operations Association, and more. She is also actively involved in starting, maintaining, and supporting health care projects in Third World countries through the recycling of donated medical supplies.