Dallas Adams is a life-time member of VFW Post 1802 in Zumbro Falls, MN. He has been a generous donor to the Post and the Auxiliary. The Post was completely flooded out in September 2010 (pic 1). Everything was ruined. After cleaning out the hall, everything had to be replaced and Dallas was a main contributor in getting the Post back to its’ original state. The Post and the Auxiliary are most grateful to him for his continued support throughout the years.
Dallas was drafted into the army in 1944 at the age of 21. His Mom and Dad, Glen and Minnie were sad to see him leave, as all parents were, as they watched their sons go off to war.
After he completed basic training, which included hand to hand combat, he was sent to Okinawa, Japan. One of his duties was to drive a Captain, a female, to her appointments. He was on guard for Motor Pool 24 hours a day, which meant he also did night patrol.
Dallas and his Army buddies were friends with the men stationed there from U.S. Navy. The Navy men had canned beef, so the Army men would trade their food for some of the Navy’s beef. Whenever the odor of a batch of baking bread was in the air, that was the smell of home, and everyone wanted some. The native people of Okinawa ate a lot of fish and sweet potatoes. The women washed their clothes in a little creek and laid them on rocks to dry.
Dallas was in many battles. One of these took place in a cave where he had his teeth knocked out and narrowly escaped being bayoneted by the enemy, but Dallas prevailed. Another time he was the driver of a vehicle that was attacked. One of the passenger was hit with a round from the enemy. As he lay wounded, his blood was dripping on Dallas as he drove. He had to push on, keep going to get away from the enemy. They all carried a rifle with a bayonet, and a 45 pistol. Dallas was a sharp shooter and rose to the rank of Sergeant. He still has his gun.
He remembers when the beaches of Iwo Jima (island next to Okinawa) were stormed by US forces and many thousands of U.S troops lost their lives before making to shore. So many died there that the sea turned red with their blood. The Captain of one of the units was killed. The 2nd in command and 4 other men continued to press on towards the jungle, step by step. Before getting to the jungle they circled back towards the beach. Each one looking for the enemies’ fox holes. As they found them, they would toss hand grenades into them. They continued to do the same as they walked silently along the beach until they had cleared the area of the enemy.
He said that when President Truman dropped the atomic bomb on Japan that helped end the war. This action, he believed, saved millions of lives, including his own, as he would have continued with the ugly war.
When Dallas entered the Army, he weighed a light 150 pounds. There was a lot of physical labor on the farm, which kept him lean. Not that war was easy, quite the opposite, but he was able to bulk up to 214 lbs. on his 6’ 7” frame by the time he was discharged. When he got to the end of his service, he was highly recommended for additional positions in the Army, but chose to leave. (pic 2)
When he got out of the service, he didn’t have a lot of ambition, somewhat depressed. He laid around home at first and thought about the people he had killed in the war as they were somebody’s dad, brother, uncle, or son. The killing bothered him, and he needed time to adjust to civilian life.
Dallas married the love of his life, Diane, also a daughter of a dear neighbor, when he was age 69. They had 15 blissful years together. Sadly cancer took Diane from him. He resides in the house he was born in, with the help caregivers he hired. He is a spry 98 years old, and Lord willing he will be 99 on November 16, 2022. (pic 3)
Some years back he was given the grim diagnosis of macular degeneration. He had 15 surgeries to save his eyesight, but the macular degeneration took over and he has been totally blind the last 2 years.
He has a great memory and we listened attentively as he answered the questions we had for him. We stop to see him from time to time, drop off a dinner or snacks, and before we know it, we have been there 2-3 hours or more. (pic 4) He likes to talk about the history of our local area. We learn many interesting facts dating back to when his father traded goods with the local Indians.
It was a pleasure to interview him!
