First to the Front
From 1945 to 1965, Dickey Chapelle covered almost every major conflict from WWII to Vietnam.
She was the only woman on the front lines of Okinawa.
She survived six weeks of solitary confinement in a communist Hungarian prison.
She marched beside the FLN in Algeria and found her way to Castro’s camp in the Sierra Maestra mountains.
She paratrooped with the 82nd, 101st, and Vietnamese Airborne, embedded herself with Special Forces in Laos and lived for a month with an anti-communist guerrilla army in the Mekong Delta.
While on patrol with some of the first combat Marines deployed to Vietnam in 1965, she was killed by an improvised explosive.
Dickey’s writing and photographs chronicle the arc of the Cold War like no other journalist. And yet, her work is almost unknown.
Until now.
“An extraordinary story….Reads like a Hollywood movie.”
— The Wall Street Journal
“Compelling and detailed… a thrilling adventure story.”
—Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
“Unforgettable….A valuable, long-overdue tribute to an American woman whose work and commitment to human rights is more relevant than ever.”
— BookPage (starred review)
“Jam-packed with colorful details and incisive character sketches, this is a vivid reappraisal of a pioneering journalist.”
—Publishers Weekly (starred review)
About lorissa
Lorissa Rinehart is an engaging author and public speaker whose work explores the powerful intersections of women’s history, politics, peace, and war. Her debut book, First to the Front: The Untold Story of Dickey Chapelle, Trailblazing Female War Correspondent (St. Martin’s Press), garnered rave reviews from The Wall Street Journal, The Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, Publishers Weekly, and more.
Her upcoming second book, Winning The Earthquake: How Jeannette Rankin Defied All Odds to Become America's First Congresswoman, is set for release by St. Martin’s Press in November 2025. Through her weekly newsletter and podcast, The Female Body Politic, Lorissa offers insightful analysis of contemporary events, drawing on 250 years of women’s engagement in American politics.
A dynamic TEDx speaker, Lorissa has delivered thought-provoking talks at prestigious venues such as the National Press Club, Friends of the National World War II Memorial, the Women's National Press Club, and the Nuclear Age Peace Foundation. Her expertise has been featured on prominent podcasts and radio shows including Tell Me Everything, Cold War Conversations, Writers Talking, and HerStory on the Rocks.
Lorissa is proudly represented by Lowenstein Associates.
Find her at:
