The Coshocton County Beacon April 17, 2019 - Page 5

Local veteran participates in Honor Guard fl ight
By Beth Scott
[e-mail]
Beth Scott | Beacon
Local veteran Dale Pfeiff er fl ew on the Honor Flight on
Tuesday, April 9 where he was honored as a Vietnam
Veteran.
COSHOCTON – Last week was a whirlwind of emotions for
Coshocton County veteran Dale Pfeiff er. On Tuesday,
April 9 at 4 a.m., Pfeiff er, along with 192 others from
Ohio, boarded a plane in Columbus for Washington D.C.
Pfeiff er served in the United States Navy from 1957 to
1960. While in boot camp, he was a member of the Blue
Jackets Choir and traveled with the choir on weekends
for the nine weeks he was in boot camp. He was then
sent to Olathe, Kansas where he was in training for two
years and worked as an electrician in the Navy. After
his time spent in Kansas, Pfeiff er was called to duty on
the USS Ticonderoga. Pfeiff er served as a guided missile
man and every four hours, he and his crew would load
missiles on the fl ight deck. He was discharged in 1960
and came home where he found work. After losing his
job in 1966, Pfeiff er decided to join the Navy once again
and was discharged in 1968.
About 11 years ago, Pfeiff er met Joyce on a popular
dating website and the two of them married while on a
cruise together in 2008. While watching television one
night, the two saw a segment about the Honor Flight
and Joyce encouraged Dale to sign up. Two and a half
years after he initially signed up, Dale received a notice
that he had been chosen to participate in the Honor
Flight.
Dale left for Columbus Monday, April 8 in the after-
noon and in the early hours on Tuesday, he boarded the
plane at Columbus John Glenn International Airport
for Washington D.C. When they arrived at the airport in
Columbus, Dale said that the fi re department had come
out to show their support and sprayed an arch of water
over the bus. He said he and his fellow veterans received
the same treatment in Washington D.C. and the ground
crew was waving American fl ags.
“I was totally overwhelmed when I saw how many
people had come to the airport,” said Dale. “I never
expected that kind of crowd to be there.”
His guardian on the trip was Niki McCoy.
“Niki was a real sweetheart, especially after we got to
the Vietnam Memorial Wall,” said Dale. “I lost a good
friend and his name was on the wall.”
Dale was able to see the Marine Corps. Memorial,
Arlington National Cemetery and the changing of the
guards, John Glenn’s grave, Audie Murphy’s grave, the
Korea Memorial, the Air Force Monument, the Women’s
Memorial, and of course, the Vietnam Memorial.
“It was just one of those things,” he said. “I had walked
over and put the fl ag above the names of the eight guys
on the wall from the Ticonderoga,” said Dale.
Dale said he is happy he was able to go on the trip. He
said coming back to Columbus, there were people there
to greet them and welcome them home, which was a
completely diff erent experience than the treatment he
received when he returned from Vietnam.
“I’m glad I went,” he said. “I’m glad they honored me to
go. I would recommend it to any vet regardless of their
military branch.”
Free College
for Eligible Coshocton County Residents
COTC Coshocton Promise
Learn more at: 740.622.1408
go.cotc.edu/promise
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APRIL 17, 2019
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