By AUDREY PARENTE,
STAFF WRITER
October 3, 2006
Name: Dale Kelley, 43 Rank: Sgt. Military Branch: U.S. Army
Assignment: Iraq
Courtesy of Dale Kelley U.S. Army Sgt. Dale Kelley, 43, a Daytona
Beach Police Department patrol officer serving with Weapons Company
1-133 Infantry Battalion in Iraq.
Q. You served 16 years in the U.S. Army before joining the Daytona
Beach Police Department in 2000, but you were called back to active
military duty in June 2005. What is your assignment in the Army?
A. I am currently serving an 18-month tour of duty in Iraq. I cannot
tell you what my job is due to OPSEC (Operation Security), but I can
tell you that we get hit with IEDs (improvised explosive devices) and
indirect fire all the time.
Q. You landed in an Army hospital recently, but it wasn't from an IED
explosion. What happened?
A. My vehicle hit a pressure plate and blew the whole front end off. No
serious injuries -- just a broken leg my first lieutenant received out
of the explosion. Then I was airlifted to a hospital for an emergency
appendectomy.
Q. You are an Illinois native and grew up in a large adopted foster
family there until your foster father and other family members moved to
Bartow in the late 1990s. How did you end up in the Daytona Beach
area?
A. In 1982, I enlisted in the Army because I felt that it was my duty as
an American to serve and protect my country as my grandfather did when
he was stationed at Pearl Harbor. In July 1992, I took a vacation to the
Port Orange area to spend time with my sister (Dena) who, at the time,
was with her boyfriend Kenneth Barrow. I arrived at my sister's home and
two days later met Kenney's sister April, who later became my wife.
Q. Do you and April have children?
A. My beautiful wife and I have five children.
Q. Daytona Beach Police Department spokesman Sgt. Craig Buth said you
are "a great officer" and "did a fine job." He said
you are "positive individual" and the department "wishes
(you) come home safely." And he said you are "making the
ultimate sacrifice" by being away from your family and your job
right now. Do you have anything to say to your fellow officers in
Daytona Beach?
A. While I have been here in the land of the forgotten, I have received
so much support from the Daytona Police Department. I want to say
thank-you to Sgt. Greg Burns, Officer Betsy Cassidy, Officer Larry Buck
and the reserve officer program, along with all the rest of the Police
Department. I also want to thank Linda and Sam Williamson for all that
they have done, along with the New Light Church in DeLand.
Q. When are you coming home for good?
A. They say I will be coming home between Dec. 12 and 20. We'll see.
