Mike Grice enlisted in the Marine Corps Reserve as a private at age 17 and retired from active duty as a Lieutenant Colonel over 27 years later. After four combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, humanitarian operations in East Timor, and five challenging command assignments he was quite surprised to find that the transition from life in uniform back to the civilian world would be one of the most challenging, frustrating, confusing, and enlightening aspects of his career. In addition to serving his country, Mike is an award winning writer and widely recognized expert in leadership. While in uniform he was decorated for heroism, meritorious service, and leadership and was also the recipient of the Officer Basic School's Outstanding Leadership Award amd the Marine Corps' most prestigious leadership award: the Leftwich Trophy. After his retirement he earned his Masters of Business Administration from the University of California's Marshall Business School. He dedicates a considerable amount of time to veterans issues and helping others make the jump from the service back to the other side. He lives in Encinitas, California with his wife Cheri and their two boys, Max and Alexander.