Author

Born on February 21, 1975, in Vietnam and given the name Uy-Tri Ly, Rick was lucky enough to escape the fallen country along with his big brother Uy-Nhung Ly as toddlers, separated from their parents Linh Dao and Ve-Dan Ly for nearly a year. They were finally reunited with their parents in Texas in 1978 largely due to the help of their aunts who already immigrated to the USA. After getting his citizenship, Uy-Tri formally changed his name to Richard Uy-Tri Ly, honoring his Uncle Richard, a US Marine who met his parents during his tour of duty in Vietnam and has been an influential figure in his family since. Richard prefers to be called “Rick” by all his friends and family. Currently, he is a proud US Army Reserve Dental Officer and has honorably served our country since 1994 when he first enlisted as an army medic. In his other professional life, Rick is a general dentist practicing in Suffolk County, Long Island for Gentle Dental by Dental365. His coauthor and son, Brandon Daniel, “Fearless” Ly, was born on July 16, 2012, and changed Rick’s life forever. Not only is he the best son Rick could ever have hoped for, he is also the main inspiration behind their children’s book, along with honoring his grandparents and their great country, the United States of America. Brandon is currently entering the fifth grade and loves sports, especially baseball and hockey, but spends most of his free time playing Roblox. More importantly, he represents the next generation of proud patriots who love their country. This book emphasizes some of the amazing people who have significant impact on their lives, including one of the featured animals in their book inspired by Adelaide “Courageous” Ewing, who also helped Brandon with a few of the illustrations in The Friend “Ly” Forest.