Retiree Appreciation Day

According to U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs statistics, 372 WWII veterans die each day. In 2016, only 620,000 of the 16 million Americans who served in WWII were alive. Dale Hendricks is one of them. He and his wife Madeline, seemingly inseparable during the event, have been married for 71 years and have known each other for 85. They took a moment to talk to retired Rear Admiral Lee Metcalf, who was the key note speaker for Retiree Appreciation Day. When Metcalf spoke to the couple, he told them how he'd been married for 43 years. Dale’s teasing reply: "That's a good start." Dale served as a staff sergeant during the war, enlisting in December of 1941, 10 days after Pearl Harbor. Dale credits his happiness to the support of Madeline. "Everyone has to have a touch point, and she has always been mine," said Dale. "I've known her for about 85 years and I still like her." "Well, I just chased him," Madeline said with a laugh. "Wherever he went, I followed." Dale's favorite part of the military was leading and being there for his comrades, but he said it still never took away from those pains of being away from Madeline. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Jodi Martinez)