Mr. Samerjan has seven years of military service, written 17 novels, more than 2,000 poems including several collections, a screenplay which was a made for cable movie starring William Devane and Meredith Baxter, and one Emmy Award.
Mr. Samerjan graduated from St. Peter’s School in June, 1964. He completed two years of study at the University of Pennsylvania when he applied for and received a leave of absence in good academic standing to enlist in the U.S. Army.
He enlisted in the Army in May, 1966 and went through Basic Training. In November, 1967 he was commissioned a second lieutenant after graduating from Armor Officer Candidate School. Assigned to the 6th Battalion, 32nd Armor, 194th Armored Brigade he was a tank platoon leader, battalion intelligence officer, battalion logistics officer, and Headquarters and Headquarter Company Commander. He volunteered for service in the Republic of Vietnam. In 1969, he attended and graduated from the District and Civil affairs Advisor Course (Vietnam) as an Honor Graduate. From 1970 through 1971, Mr. Samerjan, as a twenty three year old captain, led a five man advisory team consisting of himself, a first lieutenant, a heavy weapons NCO, a light weapons NCO, and a medic in Vo Xu Village, Hoai Duc District, Binh Tuy Province, Republic of Vietnam. During this period he also served temporarily as the District Senior Advisor in Tan Linh after sappers attacked and put out of action the prior team. Mr. Samerjan’s team trained, and advised South Vietnamese troops on combat operations as well as providing artillery, air, and medical support. He received two Bronze Star Medals one with one Oak Leaf Cluster and one with “V” device, the Air Medal, Combat Infantryman Badge, Army Commendation Medal, Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Bronze Star, Vietnam Service Medal with Three Bronze Service Stars, and the Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal. From 1971 until his discharge from the Army in 1973, Mr. Samerjan served as a Testing/Training Officer at Headquarters, Modern Army Selected Systems Test, Evaluation, and Research where the Army sought to design the future force structure and capabilities of the Army into the 21st century. From 1975-1976, Mr. Samerjan designed the squad through battalion training program in Saudi Arabia for the Saudi Arabian National Guard.
For thirty years, Mr. Samerjan has been a consultant to major defense contractors in capture planning and proposal management for major Department of Defense programs including the Joint Strike Fighter, Future Combat Systems, Warfighter Tactical Information Network, Multi-mission Maritime Aircraft (P-8A Poseidon) , SBInet, KC-45 Aerial Refueling Tanker (179 aircraft and potential $35B program) and others.
Mr. Samerjan partnered with David Saperstein (Cocoon) in 2002 on his screenplay of “A Christmas Visitor” which was later made into a movie for the Hallmark Channel. The movie has been shown nationally and internationally ever since. With David Saperstein as partner for the “Christmas Visitor” Mr. Samerjan’s screenplay became a novel first published in 2004. It has been reprinted annually since then with 130,000 copies in print. In 2006, Mr. Samerjan and Mr. Saperstein partnered again and wrote and sold the novel “Christmas Passage” published by Kensington Books in 2008 with a mass market version in 2009. In 2012, an omnibus edition of both Christmas novels in one volume was printed in 40,000 copies. Two of his poems, “Tiger Patrol” and “Tightening The Noose,” appeared in DEAR AMERICA published in 1985 by W.W. Norton. The latter of the two was chosen to be part of a permanent exhibit at the D.A.V. Vietnam Veterans Memorial in New Mexico. “High Bank Canto IV”, “You Scare Me”, “Litany for a God-Vacant Sunday II,” “Two-Grade Booby Trap,” “The Bridge,” “Dustoff’, “Trip Wire” and “Clay” appeared in poetry journals. In 1981, he received an Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement “Interactive Video Disc” in the Best Training or Information Program Under Fifteen Minutes category.
Mr. Samerjan is a member of the Writers Guild of America.
His education includes a M.A., Writing, Lesley College, 1984; and a B.A., English, Hofstra University 1978.
He lives in North Chatham, New York.
Books by George Samerjan
