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Sammy Maida

Sammy Maida, born as Samuel Robert Maida, is an American author, actor and musician. His first literary book is the historical fiction novel, "Project: 211," published by Amazon Publishing and released in September of 2022.

He was born December 31st, 1977 in Duluth, Minnesota and educated at Morgan Park Junior High School and Duluth Denfeld High School (1996). He enlisted in the 148th Fighter Wing of the Minnesota Air National Guard while still in high school, later attending the University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Wisconsin Superior, studying history and jazz percussion while playing in area bands. Following a deployment to Saudi Arabia in 2001, he transferred to the 115th Fighter Wing of the Wisconsin Air National Guard in Madison, Wisconsin and was on duty during the 9/11/2001 terrorist attacks. Following 9/11, Maida was activated by the United States Air Force in support of Operation: Noble Eagle and was later sent on numerous stateside and combat deployments. He is a multiple tour veteran of Operation: Enduring Freedom and Operation: Iraqi Freedom. Before his last deployment to Iraq in 2006, Maida was one of the featured actors in the documentary "How Many Roads," by Jos de Putter, starring as himself. He left the service in 2007 and returned to his hometown of Duluth, Minnesota.

Maida is a professional musician as a drummer, playing and touring with many of the top bands in Northern Minnesota and the Midwest. He is endorsed by Soultone Cymbals and Custom Drumsticks.

In addition to being a musician, he is also an amateur local historian and model maker, the proprietor of a scale model of the former Duluth Works steel plant and Universal Atlas cement plant as well as replicas of several Duluth and area landmarks and buildings. Maida is a board member of the St. Louis County Historical Society.

In 2016, he began work researching and writing what eventually became his first novel, Project: 211 which was published September 19th, 2022. He is currently in the process of writing its sequel.

Professionally, he belongs to the American Legion, a life member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, the Disabled American Veterans, the Iraq/Afghanistan Veterans of America, and the Italian/American Club of Duluth, Minnesota.

Sammy Maida currently lives in Superior, Wisconsin.