Veteran Salute: 'My biggest thing was I served my country; And I feel good about it'

TOPEKA (KSNT) - In the era of the military draft and the Vietnam War, one White City native joined the Army to make a difference. He is proud to say that he served his country the best he could. 

Dale Putman enlisted back in 1964 at just 19-years-old, starting out as an engineer. This was just the start for Putman, as it marked the beginning of his nearly four-decade career. Since he enlisted, the Army was the option that was narrowed down for him. 

"Well, if I was in the Air Force, I can't fly like a bird and I can't swim the ocean," Putman said. "So the only thing I can do, I can dig a hole. So, I stayed on the ground, and that's how it came up to be Army."

Putman was a float bridge specialist during his time at Fort Carson, Colorado. When his friends were drafted for the Vietnam War and he wasn't needed, it bothered him. So, when the opportunity presented itself to go to Afghanistan, he volunteered. 

"I told the adjutant general and his staff, I want to volunteer to go to Afghanistan," Putman said. "And so they put in the paperwork. At that time, if you were in the guards at the age of 60, you're supposed to retire. But they found a way to get by that. So I went over to Afghanistan. And my biggest thing was I served my country. And I feel good about it, even though I had to wait until I was 60-years-old to do that. But all the training for that amount of years was put to work. And I celebrated my 61st birthday in Afghanistan."

There wasn't just one particular moment that stuck out to Putman, where he felt the most proud.

"From 1964 till 2007," Putman said. "I served my country and protected what you know, if they called me to protect stuff, I could do it. And I was very proud to be able to come feel my obligation to the United States of America. That's, that's what I'm proud of, being able to so that we can have the freedom that we got today."

Even after a nearly forty-year career in the military, Putman is not retired and is still helping the community through FEMA and the Kansas Department of Emergency Management. He lives outside Emporia with his wife, Judith with their cattle operation. 

For more Veteran Salute, click here. Keep up with the latest breaking news in northeast Kansas by downloading our mobile app and by signing up for our news email alerts. Sign up for our Storm Track Weather app by clicking here.