Journalist & WWII pilot’s granddaughter. ORTIZ’S WAR—Col. Nick Reynolds’ and my book about OSS Marine Peter Ortiz—is out now ⬇️
Joined August 2009
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In WWII France, American Marine Peter Ortiz blew up Nazi rail lines, stayed a step ahead of the Gestapo, and rescued downed Allied airmen—including my grandfather.
Ortiz was the most battle-decorated member of America’s first spy agency, the OSS. Post war, he went to Hollywood, working w/ John Ford and John Wayne and appearing in dozens of films. His own story—which you can read in Nicholas Reynolds and my new book, ORTIZ’S WAR—rivals any of them.
Grab a copy and let us know what you think ⬇️
amzn.to/4x6GDZl
#wwiihistory #usmc #historybooks #peterortiz #officeofstrategicservices
Katie S. Sanders retweeted
Most military reading lists recycle the same 10 titles and call it done.
After 150+ articles reviewing books, mining professional journals, and building reading lists at The Military Reading Room, these are the titles I'd hand any serious reader.
Command under friction:
→ Thinking in Bets, Annie Duke
→ Speed Kills, Alex Vohr
→ The Liberation Trilogy, Rick Atkinson
Tactical adaptation and future warfare:
→ Project Maven, Katrina Manson
→ Practicing Intelligence, Col. Tim Oliver
→ Ortiz's War, Nicholas Reynolds and Katie Sanders
Strategic deterrence and naval power:
→ Anti-Access Warfare, Sam J. Tangredi
→ Fleet Tactics, Wayne Hughes
→ Sea Power, James Stavridis
None of these treat doctrine as a script. They show how leaders adapt when plans break down, communication cuts out, and the operating environment turns hostile.
All of them sharpen how you think about decision-making under friction.
The full archive is at The Military Reading Room on Substack.
Katie S. Sanders retweeted
Your number's up. In Washington, D.C., today, in 1940, a blindfolded Secretary of War Henry Stimson draws the first number, 158, in the first peacetime conscription lottery in U.S. history. Some 10 million men in the US will be drafted in WWII. Around 16 million Americans will serve. Less than 30,000 are still alive, around 0.2 percent.
Katie S. Sanders retweeted
Noor Inayat Khan, the British Indian SOE agent and the first female wireless operator sent into Nazi-occupied France, was betrayed, tortured for months, and executed at Dachau in 1944.
She gave away no secrets despite brutal interrogation and was posthumously awarded the George Cross for her outstanding courage.
Big thanks to @cwclub and everyone who joined me in SF to talk about Ortiz’s War and the longtime California resident at the center of the story, OSS Marine Col. Peter Ortiz.
Tonight @cwclub in SF:
• 5:30 pm / Katie Sanders: Ortiz’s War
• 6 pm / Rev. Richard Cizik’s Route from the Altar to K Street to Lyft Driver
• 8 pm / The Gr8T Debate: The Race for San Francisco’s District 8 (must pre-register)
Details & tickets: commonwealthclub.org/events
Katie S. Sanders retweeted
Bletchley Park - home of the codebreakers and a very special place
@bletchleypark @GCHQ
Katie S. Sanders retweeted
🅹🅰🅲🅺 🆁🅸🆂🅻🅴🆁
Sgt. Jack Risler served with Maj. Peter Ortiz (both USMC) on the UNION I and UNION II OSS missions in occupied France. Missions supported by the British SOE. #JackRisler #PeterOrtiz #OrtizsWar #OSS #SOE #WW2 🇺🇸 🇬🇧
nitter.cf/KatieSSanders/status/2…
ALT Source: https://www.tiktok.com/@ortizswarbook/video/7695590377465646349?_r=1&_t=ZT-9AWpCmYqlx7
The Secret Agent With the Sketchbook ⬇️
tiktok.com/t/ZTy7aLkwr/
nationalgeographic.com/histo…
Happy 251st birthday to the @USNavy.
While John Ford is best known as a legendary director, during WWII he led the OSS Field Photographic Branch and filmed Midway under fire.
Fellow OSS vet Peter Ortiz acted in several of Ford’s films, and Ford was godfather to Pete Ortiz Jr., who graduated from
@NavalAcademy & had a long career as a Marine.
#USNavy #JohnFord
The Secret Agent With the Sketchbook ⬇️
tiktok.com/t/ZTy7aLkwr/
nationalgeographic.com/histo…
Katie S. Sanders retweeted
WW2 espionage, D-Day and the OSS: discover the extraordinary story of Peter J. Ortiz, the decorated Marine who fought behind Nazi lines and surrendered to 100 Germans to save a French village.
Links in comments below
👇👇👇
Katie S. Sanders retweeted
Great to see my former mentor Wayne Lawson -- best boss ever and one of the best humans ever -- get this lovely @nytimes obit.
He was modest and wouldn't have expected or cared about this recognition, but it means a lot to me and many others.
nytimes.com/2026/10/09/busin…
They don’t make ‘em like this anymore.
WWII parachute 👰🏻♀️ dress at @IntlMuseumWWII in South Kingston RI ⬇️
Katie S. Sanders retweeted
Francis Lowell Coolidge is one of an incredibly small number of Americans who parachuted behind enemy lines in both the European and Pacific theaters of World War II. Read more about his story in "Ortiz’s War: The Allies’ Secret Weapon Against the Nazis in Occupied France" from @KatieSSanders. bit.ly/4hYp35b
Katie S. Sanders retweeted
𝗪𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗨𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗕𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀
Some of the stories surrounding Peter Ortiz sound more like wartime folklore than biography.
One of the remarkable things about Ortiz’s War is that Reynolds and Sanders went back to the records to determine which stories could actually be supported.
The uniform was not simply part of the legend.
“𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻𝗹𝘆 𝘄𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗽𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗶𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺 𝗯𝗲𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗺𝘆 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀”
Disney came up with this proposed design for OSS Operational Groups around 1943.
Now on display at the Harrington Aviation Museum in England.
Neat piece of special ops history.
The last page of Jack Risler’s POW logbook from his many months in captivity at Marlag Nord. Who can ID this guy?
Hint: Not #Kilroy
nationalgeographic.com/histo…
On Gold Star Mother’s & Family’s Day, I’m thinking of Eva & Francis Perry from Needham MA. Their sons Francis Jr & Charles were @USMC paratroopers in WWII.
Francis Jr returned from the Pacific w/ a Purple Heart & a missing chunk of his ear.
Charles Perry, 22, jumped to his death on an OSS mission supporting the French Resistance on Aug 1, 1944.
storiesfortherecord.substack…
Remembering Gold Star Mothers & Families
USSOCOM joins our Nation in observing Gold Star Mother’s and Family Day standing in solemn gratitude for the families of our fallen warriors. The Gold Star is a profound symbol of sacrifice, reminding us that a service member never serves alone. We honor those who have borne the heaviest burden of our freedom—families who accepted the folded flag, said their final farewells, and carry the enduring absence of their hero. The unyielding resilience of these mothers and families exemplifies the true American spirit; it is their profound strength that carries our heroes' legacies forward and indelibly inspires our Command and Nation.
Katie S. Sanders retweeted
Our Open Book welcomes the authors of ORTIZ’S WAR. An extraordinary story, finally told.
scottsimonspeaks.substack.co…
Dropped out of college my sr year to assist Wayne. Almost didn’t make it back to school. What was the point?
“Go get the sheepskin, darrrling,” he told me. “I’ll visit. And you’ll come right back.”
It was true.
He was the best.
Here he is at my wedding in NYC in 2015. 🍸
Cheers to 94 years of Wayne Albert Lawson.
🤖 Made with AI
Remembering longtime Vanity Fair editor Wayne Lawson—known as VF’s “secret weapon”—who shepherded the careers of Dominick Dunne, Marie Brenner, Maureen Orth, and many other greats vanityfair.com/story/wayne-l…
Katie S. Sanders retweeted
Our Open Book welcomes Nicholas Reynolds and Katie S. Sanders to talk about ORTIZ'S WAR. An amazing, laureled, but largely unknown WWII career.
6:15 pm et 3:15 pm pt
live on @substack scottsimonspeaks.substack.co…
RTd here thereafter. Join us with your questions, too!
