Dale was born Feb. 2, 1920, at Coffey, Mo., the son of Harvey Raymond and Mamie Ethel (Fields) Pash. He moved with his family to Harlan, Iowa. He spent some time in Colorado and California before enlisting in the U.S. Navy on Nov. 11, 1941. He was assigned to the USS Colorado BB45 and served as gun captain on a 16-inch gun (the ship's largest gun). Dale was very proud to have served on the Colorado. It was the most decorated and had more "well dones" by the U.S. Marine Corps during World War II than any battleship in the South Pacific.
Dale was awarded 10 battle stars in the South Pacific and chose to stay with the Colorado rather than having a higher rank and being assigned another ship. He was honorably discharged on Oct. 23, 1945, but stayed in contact with his fellow sailors through his membership with the USS Colorado Alumni Association. After his discharge, Dale returned to Harlan and was a body repairman for Orv Rocker Ford.
Source: Excerpt paragraphs from his obituary, Sioux City Journal, July 27, 2008
