“Although I'm a several-generation American (depends on the line), I was born overseas due to my father's military service. By coincidence, it happens to have been in the country in which my surname originated: Germany. Of course, the name has been slightly modified in America, from Buchhammer to Bookhammer. This is a rare enough surname that to the best of my knowledge, I am the only Gary Bookhammer on the planet.

“I spent the first 11 years of my life in a variety of places, until my father retired from the Air Force and returned to his home county in Pennsylvania. There I learned that I had deeper roots than I knew, both in Pennsylvania and in my mother's home area of southern Mississippi. (I like to remind my Southern kin that I was in fact born in the "Deep South" -- it was simply the deep south of Germany, in southern Bavaria.)

“I spent the remaining years of my childhood in Pennsylvania, which is the place I call "home". I met my wife Diane there. But after we married, it was back to traveling. We've lived in Lawrenceville, Illinois, and neighboring Bridgeport, Illinois; Corpus Christi, Texas, and Midland, Texas.

“However, in 2012 we were able to return to our home state of Pennsylvania. Unfortunately, while our house, our daughter, and our dogs are there, we are now living in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. (It makes for a heck-of-a-long commute. But we're enjoying our "overseas adventure".)

“The reason for the travel has been that Diane is a petroleum engineer. I operate a math tutorial service for elementary through high school students, although I'm currently on an extended break. (I'm in Malaysia on a dependent visa, which means the Malaysian government does not permit me to work here.)”

Gary J. Bookhammer
http://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Bookhammer-3