Posted by Bev Peloquin on September 5, 2005:

Before I first met Dale, he had already accomplished so much. As the 5th born in a family of 4 boys and 6 girls, he attended one year of college, went to United States Military Academy Prep School then attended West Point, graduating in the top third of his class in 1953. This allowed him to pick the Air Force as his military career. He went to Del Rio, Texas for flight training and then to Nellis AFB. At that time the Air Force Academy was in the works and they hand picked some special bachelor officers, and Dale was one of them, to act as ?upper classmen? for the very first class of the Academy. The Academy at that time started at Lowry AFB in Denver, Colorado while construction was started on the permanent Academy in Colorado Springs. The first time I talked to Dale was in June of 1956 when he called to say that my brother who he knew at West Point had told him to call me --- saying I might be able to fix him up with a date. I was so enthralled watching Elvis Presley on the Ed Sullivan show so cut the conversation short. Afterwards I looked his picture up in my brother?s West Point album and thought ?Why didn?t I talk to him longer?!!? A month later my brother came through Denver onl his way to Korea and I finally met Dale. Four months later we were married. Never in my wildest dreams would I ever have imagined the wonderful, exciting and sometimes bumpy life that Dale would be giving me. My brother once told me, Dale is like a cat with nine lives. Shortly before we were married we were on our way to a drive-in movie. We stopped for gas and Dale went across the street to get a six-pak to have at the movie. He took forever to come back and finally the gas attendant came to move the car and when I asked why, he said ?the fellow you are with was just hit by a hit and run driver.?. There Dale was, someone had pulled him to the curb and all the cans were next to him. He insisted we go on to the movies, but the ambulance came, took him to the Academy hospital and he had a broken leg. He didn?t even let that deter his much beloved deer hunting trip a week later ? he sat in camp with a full leg cast and crutches and even shot a deer that wandered close to camp while his buddies were out scouting. Right after we were married I was the new bride attending one of those Officer Wives luncheons and so many of the upper officer?s wives were looking at me and whispering. I became very self conscious and came home. Dale was there and when I questioned why he was home, he stated he had trouble with the F-86 and had gone through the crash barrier. Found out the upper officer?s wives knew about it and wondered if I did. He was okay, just kinda scratched up. I should have known then that this was going to be a bumpy ride. A few months later we were sent to Squadron Officer?s School in Montgomery, Alabama and then Dale received orders for a one year unaccompanied assignment to Korea. One year of marriage and he was sent to Korea for a year. He told me that one of his most frightening experiences was there when he and about five other pilots were lined up to take off. I can?t remember the type of plane, but it wasn?t a fighter jet. His crew chief had started his engines when a Korean pilot somehow ran into trouble and started smashing into the line of planes waiting to taxi off. After smashing into about three planes, Dale who was fifth in line put his thrust forward and started taxing off, thereby escaping. Several men were killed in that accident. The rest of his assignment in Korea consisted of working with the Korean Air Force Academy and also flying several USO shows around Korea and into Hong Kong. A few days before returning home after the year?s assignment, he was sleeping in a Quonset hut, waiting to board a plane the next day to Japan and then home to me in Colorado. Somehow, someone had started a fire in one of the pot bellied stoves for heat and it wasn?t vented right and there was nothing but smoke. Someone woke up to go to the bathroom, stumbled over Dale?s cot, waking him and they both went to the door. At that time, the Quonset hut blew up giving Dale 3rd and 4th degree burns everyplace on his body where his tee shirt and shorts didn?t cover. After a short stay in the hospital he was sent back to the states and had to go to Fitzsimmons Army Hospital every day to have his wounds dressed. From that assignment we were stationed with the 322 Fighter Interceptor Squadron at Klamath Falls, Oregon. Dale flew 101?s and we were so happy with that assignment. Our first child Kerry, was born there and life was wonderful! So many friends and comradership that the Air Force gave us. Then Dale had to do it again.------ he was taking a Colonel from another base for a check ride in the 101. They developed trouble over the lava beds of northern California and had to bail out. When the Chaplain came to my house, he said they had flown a helicopter over the crash site and had spotted one on the ground walking around, but hadn?t spotted the other. I JUST KNEW it was Dale walking about, and yes ? it was Dale. When they rescued both of them (the Colonel was pretty badly injured after landing on a sharp cliff) they asked Dale what was the first thing he did after bailing out. His reply was ?I sat down and smoked a cigarette!? Our next assignment was at ENT in Colorado Springs in Personnel. An interesting tour where Dale assigned different personnel to bases all around the world. All of a sudden we had friends we hadn?t heard from in years!! Our son Scott was born there at the brand new Air Force Academy. After this three year tour Dale was able to pick our next assignment. ---- ITALY!! 1961 found us in Vicenza, Italy, 30 miles west of Venice for a three year tour with the 5th ATAF. We lived on the economy, spoke the language (to some degree) and made so many wonderful Italian friends. My Mom spent the last two years with us there and our daughter Dana was born 6 months before we left. What a wonderful life and experiences we had!! Then Dale had to do it again ---- He had orders for Viet Nam to fly the RF101 and we were scheduled to go to Shaw Air Force Base for his training. All our belongings were shipped except for our ?hold baggage? (enough to get by with till you get all your belongings). We were living in transit billets before our scheduled departure back to the states. Dale went to get some flying time in the C-47 (commonly known as the Goney Bird). While flying over Rome, one engine iced up and the cockpit window froze over. Trying to make an emergency landing they just barely missed an Italian villa and crashed into a field, splitting the aircraft in half. The men in the back were alright and ran around to the cockpit which was nothing but a mass of wires and cables. They saw two legs dangling and started pulling away the tangled mess. They said it was a miracle that they were able to pull it away. It was Dale they pulled out. Sadly, the pilot next to him was killed. Dale spent several days in the Italian hospital in Rome before they could air evac him to Weisbaden, Germany. He had casts on every arm and every leg and bandages where there were no casts. After a month in the Weisbaden hospital they air evacuated him to the hospital at Andrews Air Force Base in Washington D.C. where he was assigned for six months. From there we went to Dayton, Ohio for 15 months where Dale attended AFIT and got a Master?s Degree. Dale told my Mom she should just plan on staying, to keep us company while he studied. Then on to California to SAMSO in El Segundo. Again, Dale told Mom ?Hazel, you just come with us since you have relatives in California. That was the kind of man he was. In l974 he retired and spent 10 years with Rockwell working on the Space Shuttle and finally retired in 1985. These last 20 years is where we have met most of you people sitting out there now. I just wanted you to know of Dale?s life before you knew him. Dale was my love, my hero and my friend. Even with his latest challenge, he never complained and faced it straight on and quietly accepted it. Guess it was a bumpy ride, a WONDERFUL Bumpy ride, but I wouldn?t have traded it for anything!!

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