Class of 1968 Veteran Dale Prout

Local Vietnam veteran recently honored for his service (Feb 23, 2017)

A local veteran, who was recently recognized and honored for his service in the Vietnam War, decided to share his story for the first time.

Dale Prout, of Aiken, was one of 53 Vietnam vets honored at a special ceremony Feb. 14 at the Charles Norwood VA in Augusta.

Prout, 66, volunteered to serve his country in 1969 and joined the U.S. Navy.

“My father was in the Navy before me, and I sort of followed in his footsteps,” Prout said. “I went to USC Aiken out of high school and wasn’t really making the grades. My dad then told me I should go into the Navy, and that’s what I did.”

Prout said he went all over the world for about a year before getting the call that he was going to Vietnam.

“A lot of us didn’t really think they were going send any of us (in the Navy) on the East Coast, but then the call came,” he said.

He went to Vietnam in 1970, and was stationed on a destroyer called the U.S.S. Glennon during his time in Vietnam.

“We were in a gun line a couple miles off the coast, and our main mission was to fire artillery rounds at whatever coordinates we were given by spotters,” he said.

Prout said the Viet Cong, or National Liberation Front, didn’t have planes or submarines, but they did have long-range guns they would shoot at the ships.

“We definitely would get fired upon sometimes,” he said. “It was kind of crazy, because they couldn’t see us and we couldn’t see them. I helped to load the guns on the ship. Some guys would get the coordinates, put them in, and fire.”

He also said his bed was located underneath one of the long-range guns on the ship, and he now has hearing issues from trying to sleep so near the loud weapon.

In 1972, after two years away from home, Prout was finally able to come back to South Carolina, but he said the welcome was not quite what you would expect.

“I arrived back to the states on the West Coast, where there were a bunch of people protesting the war,” he said. “Returning soldiers were actually told to wear their civilian clothes home, not their uniform, because the protestors would throw things at you, even spit on you. I, of course, wore my uniform home.”

Prout returned to Aiken, got married and went back to college. He has now been married for 45 years, has two children and four grandchildren.

“I never really talked about my time in the service, but it’s nice to finally talk about and to be honored at the Vietnam Veterans Ceremony at the VA.”