Gary D. Joiner

As a small boy growing up in Louisiana, Gary visited U.S. Civil War battlefields and was inspired to learn more about history. While he did not know what a historian was as a 5-year-old, he set his ultimate career goal at that early age. After high school, he attended Louisiana Tech University, earning a bachelor’s degree with a double major in history and geography and later received a master’s degree from the same institution, focusing on military history. While teaching at Louisiana State University in Shreveport, he enrolled in St. Martin’s College, Lancaster, England, where he received his Doctor of Philosophy Degree in history. He is an award-winning author who is known not only for his scholarship, but for his ability to tell fascinating stories. He has authored, coauthored or edited multiple books and military white papers. Retiring from LSU Shreveport as History Professor Emeritus, he continues to research and write because, as he puts it, "History Matters."