Gary Wilkins

As a youth, Gary's favorite subjects were dinosaurs (paleontology), German Panzer divisions, the Roman Army (Imperial period), First Nations peoples, virology, and foreign languages. His fascination with German and tanks [German tanks in particular] led him to major in German Language (minor in Russian) at university and earn a commission as an armor officer in the US Army. Gary served as a tank platoon leader and company executive officer ("XO" -i.e., 2nd in command) of a tank company, and as the Assistant S-3 AIR (training section, responsible for coordination of all aviation taskings) of an Armor battalion staff in the United States; in Korea, he served as CSC (Combat Support Company) XO, and as the Assistant S-1 (personnel) of a mechanized combat brigade; his final assignment overseas was in Seoul with 8th US Army, US Forces Korea as a protocol officer. After returning to the United States, he medically mustered out after developing a glucose-related illness.

Gary eventually returned again to Asia as a civilian where he taught English and German at language schools in Japan and Korea. He also served as the consulting English editor for the Korea Stock Exchange's International Department and worked in the company headquarters of Kumho Chemicals (a Korean international conglomerate) in Seoul as the company's sole non-Korean employee at the head office. After returning to the United States he researched, wrote, and published his first book (The Collector's Guide). He also translated a German friend's (Bernd Peitz) book into English, and coedited another with P.A. Spayd (and selected the photos used from the Bundesarchiv). He has travelled multiple times to Germany where he did research at the Bundesarchiv (federal archive) in Koblenz and had an opportunity to meet personally with German army and Waffen-SS war veterans. Gary worked 6 years for noted military antiques dealer Bill Shea at "The Ruptured Duck" before heading south to permanently trade New England snow and ice for an NC flag as a resident of the Tarheel state. His daughter is an Army veteran who served in two combat theaters as an NCO and earned a purple heart in Afghanistan after being hit in the leg by an AK-74 (not a -47) round during a firefight with the Taliban.

Gary is currently working on a historical fiction novel. His hobbies include artwork (his work has been exhibited in Boston and several pieces hang in Japan--including the tiger seen in one of the photos here), foreign languages, and music. He plays guitar, bass (Ibanez SR Premiums and Fender Jazz V), and drums. If you visit the Fayetteville, NC area be sure to catch a performance by the rock bands "FOURTH HOUR" or "13 FOLDS" and introduce yourself to the bass guitarist... ~!