#VeteranOfTheDay Navy Veteran Dale Doss

Today’s #VeteranOfTheDay is Navy Veteran Dale Doss. Dale served during the Vietnam War.

Dale was born in 1936 in Alabama. He enlisted in the Naval Reserve in June 1954 and began active duty in 1958. He attended Basic Naval Aviation Observer School and Air Navigation School from June 1958 to June 1960. Dale served as a transport navigator with VR-3 of the Military Air Transport Service. He then served as an instructor at the Basic Naval Aviation Observer School from 1963 to 1966. Dale then went on to attend RA-5C Vigilante replacement air group training with RVAH-3 at Naval Air Station Sanford, Fla. and A-6 Intruder bombardier/navigator training with VA-42 at Naval Air Station Oceana from 1966-1967. Dale served as an A-6A bombardier/navigator with VA-35 at Naval Air Station Oceana and deployed on the aircraft carrier USS Enterprise. He served in this role until he was forced to eject over North Vietnam in March 1968.

Dale was a Prisoner of War for 1,824 days, alongside John McCain, and was released during Operation Homecoming. In the time following his homecoming, Dale served in various roles. He was briefly the Special Assistant to the Commander of the Navy Recruiting Area III and later attended Navy Recruiting School at Naval Air Station Pensacola. Dale’s next assignment was as the Chief Staff Officer of Navy Recruiting Area I, and then he served as Commanding Officer of Navy Recruiting District Montgomery, Ala. for three years. He then served in the same role for Recruiting District Miami. He ended his time in the service serving as Deputy Inspector General with the Commander, Navy Recruiting Command Inspector General’s Office at Naval Training Center Orland.

Dale retired from the service as a Captain on March 1, 1983. Dale received seven awards for his time in the service. They include the Silver Star, Legion of Merit, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and the Prisoner of War Medal.

Thank you for your service, Dale.

Nominate a Veteran for #VeteranOfTheDay

Do you want to light up the face of a special Veteran? Have you been wondering how to tell your Veteran they are special to you? You’re in luck! VA’s #VeteranOfTheDay social media feature is an opportunity to highlight your Veteran and his/her service.

It’s easy to nominate a Veteran. All it takes is an email to newmedia@va.gov with as much information as you can put together, along with some good photos. Visit our blog post about nominating to learn how to create the best submission.

Graphic by Katherine Wiedeman. Katherine is studying Communication at the University of Louisville.