The November Kosciusko County Veteran of the Month is Dale Long. The Air Force veteran was recognized at the Kosciusko County Commissioners’ meeting on Monday, Nov. 7, at the Kosciusko County Courthouse’s Old Courtroom. From left: Kosciusko County Veteran Service Officer Darryl McDowell, Kosciusko County Commissioners’ Vice President Brad Jackson, Long, Long’s wife Karen Long, Kosciusko County Commissioner Bob Conley and Kosciusko County Commissioners’ President Cary Groninger. InkFreeNews photo by Leah Sander.

By Leah Sander
InkFreeNews

WARSAW — U.S. Air Force veteran Dale Long is the November Kosciusko County veteran of the month.

Long, 83, Warsaw, was honored at the Kosciusko County Commissioners’ meeting on Monday, Nov. 7. The meeting was held one day earlier than usual due to Election Day on Tuesday, Nov. 8.

Kosciusko County Veteran Service Officer Darryl McDowell presented Long with a certificate and read biographical information on him, including the following.

On Dec. 8, 1938, Long was born to Lura and Merlin “Ping” Long at Murphy Medical Center, Warsaw.

When Pearl Harbor in Hawaii was attacked, Long was 3 years old. He recalls the nightly “blackouts” of windows in homes and business lights around town during that era.

People would alert others if light could be seen from their homes. His family would play dominoes by candlelight during those times.

Long first worked as a Warsaw Times-Union paper boy at age 6 and was employed at other jobs until he was 55. His activities as a youth included Cub Scouts, Boy Scouts and the Civil Air Patrol.

He was a Warsaw High School Class of 1956 graduate and joined the Air Force in 1961 when the Vietnam War was ramping up.

Long attended basic training in San Antonio, Texas, and became the base forms and regulations manager at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware. That included handling accounting and the base regulations in the manual library approximately the size of a three-car garage.

Being good at that duty, Long received a U.S. Air Force Commendation Medal for shrinking form duplications by 75%.

Long poignantly remembers Nov. 22, 1963, when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated by Lee Harvey Oswald in Dallas, Texas. He noted that the defense situation escalated then.

Long said he and his fellow service members didn’t know what was happening, but that they were told to go to the flight line and get a M-1 rifle and get on a C-124 aircraft to head out. From their training, they knew that they would probably see missiles flying over their heads if the U.S. was attacked.

Later that day, they were told they were no longer locked down on base and could see their families again.

In 1965, Long was honorably discharged, returning home to Kosciusko County. He met his future wife, Karen, and they got married in 1976.

Out of his graduating class, he’s the only one to write and publish a book on growing up in Warsaw.

“I’m just happy to be here,” said Long after he received the certificate. “I did what I did and I’m just happy to serve.”