"Having the opportunity to know and to help others know a man who was able to act effectively in morally complex circumstances has been a privilege for which I am grateful. The greatest value of my project has been the opportunity to come to know, appreciate, and perhaps, in some measure, dramatize for others the life and achievements of an honest and passionate man, a patriotic American, General Samuel Vaughan Wilson. For that I will be forever grateful to him. From the forests and fields of Depression-era Southside Virginia to the swampy jungles of World War II Burma, from the pinstripe suits of the White House to the shadows and mirrors surrounding the Kremlin during the Cold War, this narrative describes the journey of a man who spent his whole life in service. He learned early that by putting one foot in front of another, much can be achieved, and in the face of daunting challenges, he accomplished with unwavering determination what lesser men would call impossible. His innate abilities as a leader shone equally in his varied military career, his role as an educator and college President, his contributions to his community, and his devotion to family and to God. General Samuel Vaughan Wilson offers each of us a glimpse into our own potential- if we have the will to reach for it."