By Ryan Woodard

Enterprise staff

One of the many veterans who will be honored Wednesday is Luther Dappen. But Dappen, a Flandreau resident, has an extra distinction this year to go along with his veteran status.

Dappen was elected by his peers in June as a national director of the Korean War Veterans Association.

His duties include meeting twice a year with the other 11 directors as they vote on bylaws and other issues.

Dappen served with the Army’s 25th Infantry Division in Korea from 1950 to 1951. He joined the South Dakota Korean War Veterans Association in 2000. One of the main reasons he joined was so he could take a return trip to Korea as a member of the group.

Dappen said he was somewhat surprised and also honored to be elected.

“You have to submit your resume and a picture in our national magazine. Having been a past president of our South Dakota unit, I thought I’d throw my name in the hat and I’ll be darned if I didn’t win,” he said, chuckling.

Dappen received over 1,400 votes from nationwide members of the group, and defeated seven other candidates on his way to winning.

“I’m kind of proud,” he said. “I think that might have been my last statement on my resume – I’m proud to be a Korean War veteran.”

Dappen’s main duties as a soldier in Korea were to hold battle lines so other divisions could pull through. Dappen remembers the U.S. being in “full retreat” when he arrived.

Some of the most vivid memories include seeing “lines and lines” of refugees that were heading south to avoid North Korea.

He also recalls being the last company to leave the Hong River, and blowing up a bridge after leaving in order to slow down the Chinese.

After Dappen got back from Korea, he went to Northern State University to pursue a degree in education. He taught school and worked as a counselor in several locations before landing a job at Flandreau Indian School in 1969. He has lived here ever since, retiring in 1992.

He said he has enjoyed being a member of the Korean War Veterans Association, and didn’t have the “wildest dream” that he’d ever end up as a national director.

He encourages other Korean War veterans who are interested to join. All they have to do is fill out an application and pay their yearly dues.

Some of the highlights of being a national director have included trips to Washington, D.C. and Dallas, Texas for meetings. Dappen also appeared in a photograph in The Washington Times while in Washington for that meeting.

Dappen doesn’t expect this year’s Veterans Day to be much different than others. He will take part in part of the ceremony at Flandreau High School, and will put flags up on Second Avenue to commemorate the holiday.

But Dappen is proud to have gotten the additional distinction as a national director.

“It is an honor to be a national director,” he said.