Early life…

Born on March 5th, 1967, Gary Dale was raised about ten miles outside of Prescott, Arkansas, in the wooded countryside of Southwestern Arkansas.  He grew to love his three “r’s” (readin’, writing and research) with his aunt Jan’s World Book Encyclopedia set at his grandparents’ house.  Being in the countryside Gary Dale was far from any bookstores so when he got older he’d save his spare change just to buy books through the mail.  He also got a bit too sly for his own good when he learned about the Book of the Month Club.  (“Mama just didn’t know where those books kept comin’ from…”).  When Gary Dale turned seventeen he was recruited to be a Navy linguist and went into active duty in the United States Navy the month after graduating Prescott High School.  After the mandatory stint in San Diego boot camp Gary Dale reported for duty at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California.  In a twist of fate that changed his life forever, Gary Dale was assigned to study Vietnamese rather than Arabic, which he had intended.  This switch from Arabic to Vietnamese later led Gary Dale to Asia where he has spent a coon’s age since.  Ironically, after language training Gary Dale received orders to the USS Arkansas.  “The Ark”, as his shipmates called the vessel was not only Gary Dale’s home state's name sake ship, but oddly enough she was later decommissioned by former Arkansas governor, President Bill Clinton.

Out in the world…

Upon the leaving the Navy, Gary Dale went to work in Los Angeles, living in the bohemian Venice Beach.  Loving the idea of working overseas Gary Dale did the next best thing and began a career in international shipping and freight forwarding, working near the Los Angeles International Airport.  But staying stateside still wasn’t enough.  Small town Gary Dale had longed to see the world for all of his life he and his first wife, Maureen Luna-Long, went to live and work in Seoul, Republic of Korea.  Later on the opportunity to work in Vietnam presented itself and Gary Dale took it, becoming one of the expatriate pioneers in the early days of Vietnam’s opening their markets, or “Đổi Mới” policy.

The writing… 

Gary Dale is an extremely avid reader.  If he is at home most likely he is reading a book.  But Gary Dale also loves looking at mysteries and stepping into unknown territory and getting to the bottom of that which is not easy to see or not easily understood. He can’t say which came first, his love of reading or his love of researching things, but when these two loves married the child that was born was his new love for writing.  A few years back, while suffering through sleepless nights, Gary Dale began to put all these subjects he’d been researching and mind mapping down on paper for others to read.  He liked the alchemy so well that he just kept doing it.  His basic approach is to find a subject where there is a gap, research what is missing, then fill the gap with a book.
 

Gary Dale also prefers to write on controversial subjects, subjects that are likely to draw friction from antagonists in the audience.  He believes that this is the only was to test falsifiability in a writer’s research.  Put it out there and let ‘em try and shoot it down!

On the more personal side…

Gary Dale is an avid “Big L” Libertarian who founded the organization Libertarians Abroad on July 4th, 2005.  He has been a member and supporter of the national Libertarian Party since his days in the Navy when a shipmate loaned him the Lysander Spooner tract No Treason.  Besides Gary Dale’s keen interest in political philosophy he is an avid historian and researches on many topics of interest, including religion, languages and economics.
 

Gary Dale has also been very active in developing the sport of darts in Vietnam.  Gary Dale was chairman of the Hanoi International Darts League prior to moving to Ho Chi Minh City where he got the Saigon International Darts League off the ground for its first season.  He was the first chairman of the league in Saigon and the only person so far who was chairman of the league’s in Hanoi and Saigon.  As well he is currently a darter in Bangkok, where he currently lives.  Gary Dale is an alumnus of the University of the State of New York with an Associate of Science degree in Liberal Arts (emphasis in foreign languages) and a Bachelor of Science degree in Sociology and is also an alumnus of the University of Oklahoma, where he completed a Master of Public Administration.  Gary Dale always tells Arkansas natives whenever he is able to meet them not to worry.  He may have a degree from Oklahoma but he will always be an Arkansas Razorback and Arkansas State Indian backer!