Patrick K. O’Donnell / Historian

The author, the leading authority on special operations, is a professional speaker focused on history spanning the Revolution, Civil War, and WWII, to modern war, and a wide range of topics in his 14 books. Patrick O'Donnell is a keynote speaker for corporate leadership and is a tour guide for select clients on battlefields in Europe and the United States.

Speaking Engagements and National Book Tours

 

AUTHOR EVENTS

2025 Upcoming

The Queen Anne’s County Historical Society
Washington’s Immortals
August 27

Mount Vernon
September 10

OSS Donovan Awards Dinner / Metropolitan Club
October

National WWII Museum symposium
Special Operations: Keynote Speaker
November 17-20

2025 Previous

National Museum of the United States Army
January 16, 2025

National Museum of the United States Army
January 16, 2025

DARPA
January 22

The History Channel
Taped seven episodes as a talking head/expert
for a hit Series (airs late Spring/Summer)
January 29

NPS Civil War Seminar Appomattox/Farmville
NPS Civil War Seminar
Keynote Speaker (C-SPAN Taped)
February 1

Erskine College
Department Lecture
The keynote speaker for the annual gala
February 27-28

Fauquier Public Library
April 2, 2025

Maryland History
April

European WWII Tours
June
Expert Guide

The Smithsonain Institution
July 17

The American Battlefield Trust
Keynote address to 1,500 educators
July 21

2026

2026 speaking schedule is rapidly filling up with many events related to the 250 Anniversary of the United States.

Brigade of the American Revolutions Washingtons Immortals — West Point
April 11, 2026

The Indispensables
May 12 Orange County

The Indispensables
July 4 TBA

Washington’s Immortals
Brooklyn
August 27

National WWII Museum -The Brenner Assignment: Shadow War in the Alps with the Original Inglorious Bastards Tour in Northern Italy and Austria based on my books I’m the guide with Dr. Nick Mueller founder of the museum (sold out)
September 27-October 10

The Indispensables
Mid-October TBA

OSS Society Donovan Awards
TBA

Washington Immortals
Maryland Sons of the American Revolution
October 24



Daughters of the American Revolution
Chevy Chase Club
April 4, 2024

American Civil War Museum - Appomattox
May 9, 2024

Cuyahoga County Public Library
Bay Village Branch
May 16, 2024

Metropolitan Club
July 10, 2024

Virginia Museum of History & Culture
Annual Hazel and Fulton Chauncey Lecture
Sold-out crowd of over 400
July 17, 2024

The International Spy Museum
September 18, 2024

AMERICAN CIVIL WAR MUSEUM
September 23, 2024

Fallujah 20th Anniversary Reunion
Camp Pendleton
November 7-9, 2024
Sgt. Major David Wilson discusses the author
in battle and the élan of the Marines of 3/1 in
Fallujah— We Were One

The National World War II Conference
November 17-22, 2024
Patrick K. O’Donnell discusses the original
Inglorious Bastards in his bestselling book
The Brenner Assignment (video)

NATIONAL TOUR FOR THE INDISPENSABLES

  • Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab
  • Eastern Yacht Club
  • The American Revolution Museum at Yorktown, VA
  • Lee Mansion in Marblehead
  • Nantucket - Atheneum
  • National Archives in DC
  • National WWII Museum
  • Fraunces Tavern Museum, NYC
  • National Museum of the United States Army
  • Washington's Crossing Historic Park
  • Pritzker Military Museum & Library
  • Ford Evening Book Talk - Mount Vernon, VA - Click to View This Event



*See my Twitter handle @combathistorian for the most current details and links to all talks.

Additional venues and dates will be forthcoming

 

NATIONAL Tour for the unknowns

  • Oregon Fallen Badge Foundation
  • Rowfant Club
  • Boston Public Library
  • U.S. Army Heritage & Education Center / US Army War College
  • Gaithersburg Festival of the Book
  • National Museum of the U.S. Navy
  • Politics & Prose
  • Pritzker Military Library and Museum
  • Filson Historical Society
  • National Archives
  • Heritage Foundation
  • Virginia Historical Society
  • National Purple Heart Day, Keynote Speaker - Mount Vernon
  • National Museum of The Marine Corps
  • Decatur Book Fair
  • Sons of the Revolution, National Convention, Keynote Speaker
  • Western Front Association
  • Society of the Honor Guard of the Tomb of The Unknown Soldier
  • Patriots Point Veteran's Symposium, Keynote Speaker USS Yorktown
  • Keynote Speaker with Governor Sandoval
  • U.S. Army Center of Military History
  • NY Historical Society
  • National WWII Museum - 2018 International Conference on World War II
  • Elite custom battlefield tours of drop zones and special operations missions in Normandy and Southern France for the 75th Anniversary of D-Day. Travel to London X-2 HQ and Radio Station Victor that supported SUSSEX Agents D-Day. The author is also the official historian and a board member of the OSS Society.
 

Selected Presentations, Speeches, and Lectures

  • Historic Batter for America with Kelsey Grammer - Fox Nation, Expert, Four Episodes
  • The Smithsonian Institution
  • National Portrait Gallery 
  • New-York Historical Society
  • Recipient of the 2017 Daughters of the American Revolution National Excellence in American History Book Award—speaker at DAR National Convention, June 2017
  • USMC School of the Infantry, via LTG James Mattis
  • Captain’s Course, Fort Benning, via LTG H.R. McMaster
  • The Society of The Cincinnati—Anderson House  
  • President Ronald Reagan's Ranch, Rancho del Cielo 
  • The Heritage Foundation 
  • Mount Vernon—Ford Motor Company Evening Lecture Series 
  • Keynote speaker for the Grand Opening of the Museum of the American Revolution at Yorktown 
  • Office of Director of National Intelligence (ODNI)
  • Captain’s Course, USMC, Quantico 
  • Provided guided tours of Normandy, France (D-Day invasion beaches and drop zones) for USMC Fifth Marines, USMC Wounded Warrior Regiment
  • U.S. Army Special Forces Command Leadership Conference
  • DARPA Senior Leadership Conference 
  • NPR, Fox News, CNN, C-SPAN (BookTV), MSNBC (appeared on each program multiple times); subject of reviews and feature stories by hundreds of newspapers and radio programs

 

National Tour for Washington’s Immortals

  • CPAC Chairman Dinner Keynote speaker kicked off the entire conference.
  • Green-Wood Cemetery, Brooklyn, NY, on the site of the Battle of Brooklyn (sold-out/standing-room only); Fox News and Global Catholic Television Network covered the event
  • John Batchelor (ABC Radio) hosted two, one-hour segments based on Washington’s Immortals.
  • Washington’s Immortals was a key element of the Civil War Trust’s Campaign 1776.
  • National Park Service’s 235th Anniversary of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, Greensboro, NC—keynote speaker (sold-out, standing-room only event)
  • Princeton Battlefield Society, Civil War Trust, Princeton, NJ—keynote speaker (sold-out event, standing-room only event)
  • David Library of the American Revolution, Washington Crossing, PA (sold-out, standing-room only event)
  • Politics & Prose, Washington, DC—keynote speaker 
  • Civil War Trust Fund Dinner, Baltimore, MD—keynote speaker to senior donors
  • Rowfant Club, Cleveland, OH—keynote speaker
  • NYC Revolutionary War Roundtable, New York City, NY—keynote speaker (sold-out)
  • Legendary historian Thomas Fleming presented O’Donnell a Certificate of Recognition for “his superb book” Washington’s Immortals.
  • Revolutionary War Roundtable, Mount Vernon, VA—keynote speaker; sponsored by Center for Military History historian Glenn Williams
  • World War II Round Table, Minneapolis, MN (fifth time presenting)
  • Pritzker Library and Museum, Chicago IL (seventh time presenting)
  • The Society of The Cincinnati, Anderson House, Washington, DC—keynote speaker (sold-out, standing-room only event)
  • Co-host, SiriusXM Radio: D-Day, June 6
  • Co-host, SiriusXM Radio: American Revolution—Eight Hours of the American Revolution, July 4
  • National Public Radio (NPR – Here & Now)
  • President Ronald Reagan’s Ranch, Santa Barbara, California—keynote speaker (standing-room only event)
  • Mount Vernon—Ford Distinguished Speakers Series in conjunction with the Fred W. Smith National Library for the Study of George Washington—keynote speaker (sold-out, standing-room only event)
  • The Institute of World Politics, Washington, DC—keynote speaker (sold-out event)
  • Maryland Statehouse, Annapolis, MD keynote speaker (standing-room only event)
    • Hosted by Governor of Maryland Larry Hogan and the City of Annapolis to honor Washington’s Immortals
    • Introduced by the President of the Maryland Senate, Thomas V. “Mike” Miller
    • A portion of the event was held in the same chamber where General Washington resigned his commission to Congress.
  • Maryland History Roundtable, Maryland National Guard Armory, Baltimore, MD—keynote speaker; presentation to the leadership of the Maryland National Guard (sold-out, standing-room only event)
    • The 29th Division and 175th Infantry Regiment draw their lineage from Major Mordecai Gist and the Baltimore Independent Cadets, “Washington’s Immortals.”
    • Officially designated as an Honorary Member of the Regiment by the Secretary of the United States Army
  • Fraunces Tavern, New York City, NY—site of Washington’s farewell address to his officers (sold-out, standing-room only event) 
  • St. Edward High School, Lakewood, OH—addressed entire school of 1,000 students
  • O’Donnell’s alma mater selected four of his books as mandatory summer reading for each grade level.
  • Princeton Battlefield—Civil War Trust and Princeton Battlefield Society keynote speaker, tied to commemoration and reenactment of the battle
  • New-York Historical Society, New York City, NY (sold-out, standing-room only event)
  • Maryland National Guard “Pass and Review” of the entire 175th Infantry Regiment (29th Division), Maryland National Guard Armory, Baltimore, MD—honored guest and keynote speaker
  • Grand opening American Revolution Museum at Yorktown—3/29/2017
  • Maryland Historical Society May 2017 
  • Sons of the American Revolution National Convention 2018 
Copyright © Patrick K. O'Donnell