Dale Lacy - One Mother's Prayers - a life time of faith.


Get acquainted with Dale Lacy, as he shares his story, and his whit

I was born in a hospital, on October 30^th Nineteen Hundred Forty-Five at Poplar Bluff, Missouri. It was a scary event for my mother! When I was about 5 (sometime after my parents divorced) my mother and I moved (via train) from Missouri to Washington.

For several years we lived with my Aunt and Uncle out on Bunker Hill, it was the very last place you to get to on Bunker Hill Road. We lived in several different places in Longview, up until I was 17, when I went into the Navy. Sometime after I went into the Navy my mother finally was able to buy her own home on Delaware Street.

My mother was a Christian, and saw to it that I was raised in church. I came to know Jesus as my personal Savior at a young age. I still remember my Sunday school days, and “John 3:16” that we all memorized. I had some good, and some bad experiences in church, and for the most part, don’t believe in “organized religion.” I have my own belief in God and in the Bible, and I choose not to discuss it.

During my Navy years, 1962-1982, I lived in San Diego, California (for recruit training), Long Beach, California where for a few months I was on the staff of Commander Mine Forces, U.S. Pacific Fleet and then on the USS Acme (MSO 508). In 1965 I transferred to the USS Falgout (DER 324) in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. In June or July 1966 I was transferred to San Diego, California for almost three years shore duty with Service School Command (Commissary “A” and “B”/Steward “A” School as Admin Assistant).

I then transferred in 1968 after two weeks training to the Naval Air Facility, Cam Ranh Bay, Republic of Vietnam. In January 1970 I came back to the states and went to Hospital Corps School where I later dropped out so that I could try for advancement in my current rate of Yeoman. However, after being transferred to the USS Robison (DDG 12) I was in a car accident, which put me in the Naval Hospital, San Diego. While in the hospital I was assigned as driver for the Hospital Corps School, and while there was convinced to try again at going back to school, which I did.

In 1970 after completing Hospital Corps School I was transferred to Naval Hospital, Bremerton, Washington for a two-year tour. In 1973 I was transferred to the USS Mount Hood (AE 29) in Concord, California (we lived in Vallejo). During my time there I did a brief TAD period aboard the USS Pyro (AE 24) as leading Medical Department Representative. In January 1975 I was transferred to the USS Barbour County (LST 1195), the worse command in my career. Due to unforeseen circumstances I was later transferred to the Branch Clinic, Marine Corps Recruit Depot, San Diego, California where I stayed until December 1978. In January 1979, I reported to my last Navy Command, U.S. Naval Hospital, Guam.

In November 1982 after twenty years I retired from the Navy. We have now lived on Guam as of this writing for over 22 years. After the Navy I worked for about ten years as a Police Officer for the Naval Station, Guam (during which time from 1982-1985, I was also a Reserve Police Officer with the Guam Police Department). Since May 1992 to present I have been with the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service as an Immigration Inspector.

For the most part I’ve had a good life. With the exception of a couple events my Navy career was satisfactory. I spent twenty years of my life in the Navy; I served 8 of those years as a Yeoman (Administration) and 12 years as a Hospital Corpsman, retiring as Hospital Corpsman First Class.

In 1966 I married, and that has proved to be a satisfactory experience, after all it has lasted as of this writing almost 35 years. We have two children, Charles who was born in 1968 and Brenda who was born in 1972.

I’m looking forward to retiring again within the next 3 years. We are thinking about leaving Guam at that time and going to Nevada, Arizona, or New Mexico. (After so many years in California and the South Pacific, Washington has proved to be too wet and cold).