Aviators speak on freedom

Two high-ranking military aviators, now retired, who attended Rocky Comfort schools were the keynote speakers at a Veterans’ Day program at the school Wednesday.

Gen. Terrence R. Dake, U.S. Marine Corps (retired) and Lt. Col. Robert B. Brumley II, U.S. Air Force) retired, spoke to a crowded gym filled with students, parents, teachers, administrators and about 20 veterans in conflicts ranging from World War II to Operation Desert Storm Wednesday afternoon.

Dake, a 1962 graduate of Rocky Comfort High School and a 34-year Marine Corps veteran who also served as President Ronald Reagan’s helicopter pilot from 1983 to 1985, told about his military service, which included a combat tour of Vietnam in 1968-69, where he flew CH-53A helicopters.

“I served in many places in the Marine Corps,” he said. “I’d come back to America, and I had an overwhelming feeling of what a great nation we are, how free we are. It’s often something we take for granted. I’m 65 years old, and have never lived a day that I was not free.”

Dake also remembered something President Reagan once told him while the McDonald County native served as the president’s helicopter pilot aboard Marine I.

“He told me freedom can become extinct in a single generation,” the general said. “It’s not something that we pass on to our children or their children, but something every generation has to fight for.

“And we’ve seen that throughout history. In World War II, it was a man named Hitler. Most recently, it’s been in Afghanistan with a group that’s called the Taliban. They went into the schools and said ‘We’re not educating girls. Go home. And we won’t have any more women teachers. Go home.’

“What would Rocky Comfort school look like without women teachers and girls? Every generation has had their opportunity, every generation has veterans.”

Gesturing to a group of about 20 veterans sitting in a designated area in front of the stage, Dake told of their sacrifice in wars ranging from World War I to present day Iraq. He spoke of Sgt. Major Dan Daley of the Marine Corps, who led his outnumbered, outgunned and pinned down men in a charge during the Battle of Belleau Wood in World War I, as well as the heroism of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans.

Dake also told of Sgt. First Class Paul Smith of the United States Army, who died defending a field hospital in Baghdad and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President George W. Bush in 2005.

Two high-ranking military aviators, now retired, who attended Rocky Comfort schools were the keynote speakers at a Veterans’ Day program at the school Wednesday.

Gen. Terrence R. Dake, U.S. Marine Corps (retired) and Lt. Col. Robert B. Brumley II, U.S. Air Force) retired, spoke to a crowded gym filled with students, parents, teachers, administrators and about 20 veterans in conflicts ranging from World War II to Operation Desert Storm Wednesday afternoon.

Dake, a 1962 graduate of Rocky Comfort High School and a 34-year Marine Corps veteran who also served as President Ronald Reagan’s helicopter pilot from 1983 to 1985, told about his military service, which included a combat tour of Vietnam in 1968-69, where he flew CH-53A helicopters.

“I served in many places in the Marine Corps,” he said. “I’d come back to America, and I had an overwhelming feeling of what a great nation we are, how free we are. It’s often something we take for granted. I’m 65 years old, and have never lived a day that I was not free.”

Dake also remembered something President Reagan once told him while the McDonald County native served as the president’s helicopter pilot aboard Marine I.

“He told me freedom can become extinct in a single generation,” the general said. “It’s not something that we pass on to our children or their children, but something every generation has to fight for.

“And we’ve seen that throughout history. In World War II, it was a man named Hitler. Most recently, it’s been in Afghanistan with a group that’s called the Taliban. They went into the schools and said ‘We’re not educating girls. Go home. And we won’t have any more women teachers. Go home.’

“What would Rocky Comfort school look like without women teachers and girls? Every generation has had their opportunity, every generation has veterans.”

Gesturing to a group of about 20 veterans sitting in a designated area in front of the stage, Dake told of their sacrifice in wars ranging from World War I to present day Iraq. He spoke of Sgt. Major Dan Daley of the Marine Corps, who led his outnumbered, outgunned and pinned down men in a charge during the Battle of Belleau Wood in World War I, as well as the heroism of World War II, Korean War and Vietnam War veterans.

Dake also told of Sgt. First Class Paul Smith of the United States Army, who died defending a field hospital in Baghdad and was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor by President George W. Bush in 2005.

“These are tough things to do, but they’re serving something greater than self,” Dake said.

Meanwhile, Brumley, a 1982 graduate of McDonald County High School who attended elementary and junior high at Rocky Comfort, spoke of the commitment veterans had, and urged students to commit themselves to their education.

“Make a commitment to what you want to do next year, or in high school, or college, or what you want to be when you grow up,” he said. “What helps is family — your mom and dad, brothers and sisters, grandparents, aunts and uncles — and friends and teachers. But can they do it all for you? No. Each of you has to be committed to your future. Education has to be a part of your commitment to your future.

“The best thing about education is once you have it, no one can take it away from you. We’re blessed to have the freedom to be educated.”

Brumley, the son of Bob Brumley and Deloris “Tudy” Brumley of Powell and grandson of renown gospel songwriter Albert E. Brumley, was valedictorian of his high school graduating class and earned a bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, then was commissioned into the Air Force as a second lieutenant.

Like Dake, Brumley was an aviator, last stationed at Vance Air Force Base in Enid, Okla. He presently lives in Wichita Falls, Texas, where he and his wife, Jane, have three sons: Robert III (Trey), Caleb and Reagan.

Also speaking at the event were three students — Brian Mahon, Andrew Coberley and Tyler Cleaver — who won essay contests in their respective grades.

The event also included music from student choirs and the junior high band, as well as recognition of veterans by teachers Barbara Burnett and Vivian Hays. Members of the McDonald County High School Army Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps served as ushers.