[4][5] His book No Heroes: Inside The FBI's Secret Counter-Terror Force was used as a dialogue reference for the 2008 Marvel Cinematic Universe debut film Iron Man, with the character of Agent Phil Coulson (portrayed by Clark Gregg) being named after him.

He originally aspired to join the Navy, but a former FBI agent he knew encouraged him to apply to work for the Bureau.

He then worked for the next nine years in the FBI's New York Division, where he specialized in Police Assassination, Fugitive, and Bank Robbery Investigations.

[7] While in command of HRT, Coulson personally negotiated the surrender of domestic terrorists at Mountain Home, AR, without any loss of life.

In 1984, Coulson led a team of FBI agents to Whidbey Island to arrest Robert Jay Mathews, the leader of the neo-Nazi terrorist group The Order.

As Special Agent in Charge (SAC) of the FBI office in Dallas, Texas, he was detailed as one of the Commanders of the Oklahoma City bombing investigation.