Dale Koestler
Bio
Dale A. Koestler was born in Kosuth County, Iowa on November 12, 1933. He was born into a family of farmers and spent his youth milking cows and tending to the farm. He had to pass the cow test by squeezing his father’s fingers with a tight enough grip to be able to milk the cows, which he did at a very young age. He graduated from Algona High School in 1951 and joined the United States Navy shortly thereafter. He joined an aviation crew as a metalsmith, though his dream had been to become a pilot. Poor eyesight eliminated his chance to fly, so he resigned to repairing the aircrafts instead and did so with great pride. Having always scored well on aptitude tests, he received special schooling and training and landed with a patrol squadron in Brunswick, Maine. He spent his enlistment there and was never sent to Korea, though he was willing to serve his country in whatever capacity they wanted to use him. Having always loved history and geography, he learned about Korea and was fascinated at the remarkable recovery made there after the war.
Video Clips
Learning About Korea In School
Dale Koestler recalls having an appetite for learning history and geography as a child. He remembers taking it upon himself to locate Pearl Harbor on a map in his fourth grade textbook when it was attacked out of sheer curiosity, leading to his discovery of many countries, including Korea. He credits his teacher in the one-room schoolhouse he attended with fostering a love for learning.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlXgq4JcE4w&start=575&end=771
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/dale-koestler#clip-1
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Uneventful Most Days
Dale Koestler describes his days in the Navy as mostly uneventful, having remained stateside throughout the Korean War. He recalls one search and rescue in particular in which he participated where a crew was lost in a training accident. He reflects that he would have served his country wherever and in whatever capacity they needed him.
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlXgq4JcE4w&start=1542&end=1650
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https://koreanwarlegacy.org/interviews/dale-koestler#clip-2
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