The Reluctant Blogger - A Tribute to Dad on Veterans Day

William "Bill" Louis Dale - US Marine Corps

February 3, 2024 was the day my father, William “Bill” Louis Dale, left this earth. Although he physically left us, the numerous memories and life lessons learned along the way did not.

Dad served in the United States Marine Corps from August 1951 to August 1953. He was eventually stationed at the Marine Air Facility in Santa Ana, California, and one of my favorite stories is of him telling me how he became a Marine. It was somewhat random, honestly. He and his best friend from college took the train from Comanche County, Kansas to Wichita, Kansas. They arrived at a large hall with hundreds of other young men about to be conscripted into the services and were told to line up. The officers in charge started numbering off, 1, 2, 3, 4. Each number was sent to a different corner of the auditorium, and then each corner was assigned a branch of the military—Dad’s number and corner – The Marines.

Although the assignment was random, the lessons and motto of the Marines could not have been more fitting for our dad. My brother, Kurt, who took over the farming and ranching operation from dad, gave the eulogy brilliantly, explaining the meaning of the Marines' motto – Semper Fi, short for Semper Fidelis, which means, always faithful. And that, as he pointed out, was the code our Dad lived by.

His Semper Fi example was front and center in his marriage, his family, his work commitments, his financial obligations, his community, and most importantly, his faith.

At the time of his passing, Dad was just shy of 94 years and had been married for nearly 72 years. My parents modeled love, and although they may not have always liked each other, as my brother put it, “there is no doubt they have always loved each other. They were always there for each other, in sickness and in health. Always faithful.”

I know my work ethic stems from my parents, particularly my father. He taught us the value of hard work, curiosity, and innovation. I’m quite certain the creators of MacGyver got most of their ideas from talking to my dad. He could fix anything with baling wire, duct tape, and a pair of plyers.

He was also my first employer. When I was old enough, I drove the wheat truck during harvest each summer. I would track my hours, and he paid me at the end of the summer. We were on our honor for what we tracked. Although we didn’t have a fancy tracking system or values on the wall…we didn’t need them. Dad’s values were passed down to us. Show up. Own up. If something goes haywire, figure out a plan. As my brother shared, “If something was broken, not working, needed fixing, tweaked, reimagined, replanned, or redone, he had an idea. He was always faithful when it came to keeping our farm going.”

It's a great reminder that we don’t need words on a wall to remind us of our own values, and the impact we can have on others with our words, our actions, and our deeds. It’s good if our personal values align with the words and actions (ie: company values) of the organizations we work for; however, it’s even better if we stay always faithful to our own first. Live them and then pass them on.

So, on this Veteran’s Day, I say thank you to all those who served, all branches of the military, and may we all serve each other with the very best of ourselves every day.

Thank you for the lessons. Semper Fi, Dad.