Pretty good things happen at fairs.
Following the parade that opened the Moody County 4-H Fair Thursday evening, Luther Dappen was honored for a lifetime spent serving his country, fellow veterans and the Flandreau community.
Moody County VFW Post 3351 presented Dappen with a Bronze Legacy Life Membership, recognizing both his military service and the decades he has devoted to veterans and their families.
Post Commander Bridget Flannery opened the presentation with words from the refrain of “Amazed by America,” including its hope that, at the end of one’s life, others will know that person gave America their best.
Flannery then outlined some of the many ways Dappen has done exactly that — giving his best not only to his country, but also to Flandreau, Moody County and veterans across the nation.
Dappen’s story in Flandreau began in 1969, when he became a guidance counselor at Flandreau Indian School. A Korean War veteran, he had used the GI Bill to attend Northern State College and earn his education degree.
His involvement in the community quickly extended well beyond his office at FIS. Dappen joined the county honor guard soon after arriving and spent more than 50 years helping ensure local veterans received the memorial services they had earned.
Doing more became a theme throughout his life.
Through his work with the VFW’s Voice of Democracy essay contest, Dappen helped generations of students better understand patriotism, civic responsibility and the nation’s history.
He is a lifetime member of the VFW, American Legion, Disabled American Veterans and Korean War Veterans Association. He also served for years as commander of Flandreau’s American Legion post and for more than a decade as a national director of the Korean War Veterans Association — continuing in that role until he was about 90.
“Think about when you’re thinking you’re too old or too tired to ‘do more,’” Flannery told those gathered.
For more than two decades, Dappen chaired the local VFW’s Poppy Program. Money raised through the effort helped purchase groceries and gasoline for families of injured or ill veterans, pay bills for struggling military families and ease some of the financial burden of burying a loved one.
Before moving to Brookings, Dappen also made sure flags were placed throughout the community on holidays — helping everyone remember, Flannery said, and encouraging others to do a little more themselves.
Long before Flandreau Indian School and Northern State, however, there was Korea.
Dappen served with a reconnaissance company in the Army’s 25th Infantry Division, where his assignments regularly placed him ahead of the front line.
“Why don’t you head on out and see what they’re shooting at us with today,” Dappen recalled being told.
He endured bitter cold and the advance of Chinese troops across the border. His company suffered casualties, and an entire platoon was separated and captured. Because soldiers who had served in Korea the longest were sent home first during that stage of the war, those losses placed Dappen in the second group from his company to return home.
Once back in South Dakota, the farm kid went to the State Fair. It was there he learned about legislation allowing Korean War veterans to attend college.
“So I went up to Northern and studied to be a teacher,” Dappen said.
That decision worked out well for Dappen — and, as the VFW noted Thursday, awfully well for Flandreau.
Flannery said those fortunate enough to call Dappen a friend also know the personality behind his long record of service.
“Whenever we’d ask — and sometimes when we hadn’t — he’d pick up his guitar and sing for us — some of his lyrics not entirely suitable for a ‘G’ audience,” she said. “He played cards with us — frustrating the devil out of us with his skill — or luck: We called it the ‘Dappen draw’ on poker nights.”
His energy and curiosity have remained equally memorable.
“And he continues to inspire us with his exuberance — his love of travel and exploration would be something to behold in a man a fraction of his age,” Flannery said. “He inspires us — and gives us something to aspire to, too, as we think about our own golden years.”
The Bronze Legacy Life Membership establishes an annual endowment in Dappen’s name to benefit the local VFW post, the South Dakota VFW Department and the national organization in perpetuity.
“You can be confident that your contributions to our organization are not only helping today’s veterans but will continue to serve the veterans of tomorrow, too,” Flannery told him.
“Thank you for everything you’ve done in service to the United States of America. Thank you for your service to Moody County’s veterans and their families. Thank you for your friendship — thank you for giving your best to all of us.”