America| A cowboy reflects on Vietnam

Roy Dahl recollects 80 years of ranching, family and America 

When Roy Dahl was 20 years old, he was living the dream of an American cowboy. A ranch kid from Camp Crook, South Dakota, Dahl grew up on a place built up from homestead era claims by both sets of grandparents starting in 1914. He was riding bulls at Eastern Montana College in Billings when he got the call that he had a free ticket to a tropical location – not of his choice. He said he wasn’t surprised – “You had to keep your grades up to keep the exemption and that wasn’t my high suit. I was a little more focused on rodeo at that time.” 

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One older brother had already done a term in the Air Force and his other brother was on the ranch with 500 head of ewes he had put together. “If I didn’t go he would have been the next in line, so I just took my turn and got it over with,” said Dahl. Although it wasn’t willingly. “Oh yeah, I was drafted. Who would give up freedom to go over there for that?” he said.  

Dahl served a 15-month tour in Vietnam from 1967 to 1968, where he was a radio operator attached to a South Vietnamese unit and was responsible for calling in American air support. He left home for basic training in Fort Lewis, Washington in the wintertime. 

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“I actually thought I was going to freeze to death – that is the coldest dang place on earth in the winter,” he said. 

From there he went to Fort Ord, California, for training to learn how to run a radio with MACV, a military advisory command in Vietnam, made up of five-man groups. 

“We were stuck with this bunch and we were like a company. It was me and most of the time a medic who went on all the trips through the jungle and officers who liked to stay home so they didn’t get out in the action much.”  

Dahl said he spent most of his time calling in American air support for the South Vietnamese unit he was attached to.  

“The Vietnamese didn’t have much of an Air Force. So if we wanted any real stuff, I called for it. My job was to pinpoint enemy and call fire. I got a pretty good idea of where we were and I learned to read a map and get on the radio and call for reinforcements. 

“I kind of got it dumped in my lap one day and had to do it. But there’s no one who wanted to go to the jungle with a 26-pound radio on their back so it was easy to get the promotion.” 

It wasn’t a vacation, but Dahl recollects his time there with little bitterness. 

“For those of us who had a reason to be there, it wasn’t that terrible. The only difference was 50 years after the fact I think about it some and it’s amazing how the people who start wars never finish them.” 

Dahl was offered a three-month early out if he stayed for three more months in his position.  

“They put me in the back in a bad subsector. There wasn’t anything going on there except communications and resupply. We had a couple of close calls, which was enough to make you want to go home.” 

He returned home in August of 1968. 

“When I got back, I found out this country had turned against the GIs just like we were the ones responsible and that was very disheartening. The attitude was terrible. Hell, the ones that didn’t want to go either went to Canada or got a deferment and then half a million of them go to Washington and riot. Well, what the hell? That’s really good for the country,” he said ironically. 

“People were not real happy with Vietnam vets. They called them baby killers and whatever. So those who served didn’t get the welcoming home that they deserved.” 

His service was done, and Dahl moved past it, returning to the life he loved. He worked the winter at a construction job and rodeoed in the spring and summer, then returned to college in the fall of 1969. 

He said he feels today the country is in some ways trying to make up for the spitefulness toward the servicemen and women, and he sees more appreciation for veterans these days. He has no hard feelings. 

“You can’t dwell on it forever. I think 50 years is long enough, you have to move on. You’re not going to get very far riding a dead horse. Basically, I did what I had to do – end of sentence.” 

Dahl said a silver lining is he joined up with the VA medical system in Sturgis, South Dakota, four years ago and they’ve provided excellent medical care for him. “So that’s been a pleasant surprise,” he said.  

When Dahl returned home he reconnected with Terry Price, the little sister of a friend he had met when he was younger. “I was at a rodeo back in the old amateur days and I went home with a friend to do his chores so we could get back to town. When we went through the house he introduced me to his little sister. Obviously, she must have made an impression!” 

A few years later Dahl heard about some aged cows Terry’s dad had for sale. “I went over there to look at them and when we finished our deal I got in the pickup and left, and I was two miles up the road before I realized she was still on the tailgate!” he said.  

They had to wait until the fall when they had time, then they got married. It was 1975, and they’ve been married 50 years now. Dahl Ranch, Inc. has always been their life’s work – there’s no time to have town jobs, they say, and besides – town is a long ways away. The ranch is nestled in the upper western corner of South Dakota just four miles from North Dakota and with some land in Montana.  

Their four children: Lindsay, Lisa, Sam and Clay went to elementary school in Camp Crook. When the bus quit running, they drove the 25 miles one way to school. They all attended and graduated high school in Buffalo.   

Today their children and grandchildren remain active in agriculture, ranching and rodeo.  

Daughter Lyndsey and her husband, Brant Pieper, are ranchers near Hay Springs, Nebraska. The Piepers’ oldest daughter, Jayda, got married in Austin, Texas, last year on Roy and Terry’s 50th wedding anniversary, and their other children, Jorja and Treyvan, are still at home. Daughter Lesa is married to Archie Chant, and they ranch and rodeo in Riverton, Wyoming, with their daughter Charli and son Hudson. Their son Sam lives in Fort Collins, Colorado. Their youngest son, Clay, and his wife Lindsay and their sons Aiden, Liam and Rory are on the home place. “Clay is fourth generation and – with the good Lord willing – one of their boys will take over as fifth generation someday,” said Terry. 

Today their operation consists of some new farming that Clay is introducing and a herd of commercial Angus cattle. For years they ran sheep, but when their labor force grew up and left they dispersed the sheep. One aspect Dahl is especially proud of is the miles and miles of pipeline they have installed on the ranch. “I can’t tell you how many miles, but we have 45 tanks we’ve added since I’ve been here. Yes, the government helped us some, but a lot of it came from our pockets,” he said. “Water is a pretty important aspect of ranching, and we’re proud of what we’ve built.”  

The ranch celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2014, and the Dahls hosted a family reunion.  

“It’s been a ride, but we’ve kept the ranch together and made a good living as we progressed,” said Dahl. “We have no complaints. Agriculture’s been good to us and I think it will be good to the next generations as long as they take care of it.” 

“It’s a great place to raise children,” said Terry. “The good times and the bad times – we’ve had them all. There’s been tears, there’s been laughter, there’s been worries, but if you’re strong enough you can make it work.” 

One trial Terry and her husband both recall is 33 years ago, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. “That was really a low point in our life for a little bit and then we survived it,” she said. “It was an awakening. I don’t know if God does it to get your life and perspectives back where they belong? You suddenly realize you need to put the important things first and not the petty little stuff that is not going to matter down the road.”  

The Dahls have visited a traveling Vietnam memorial, but Dahl has never been to Washington, D.C. His life has been lived as a rancher; Vietnam was a small detour from that. Yet he proudly stands when veterans are recognized and is willing to share his story in hopes of preventing patriotism from dwindling with each generation.  

Family, ranching, patriotism and faith – they all run deep in the Dahls’ lives.  

“We need to work on our children and our grandchildren to be proud, to be respectful and to love their country and God,” said Terry. “I think you have to love God.” 

And the ranch is the home base where it is all lived out.  

“It’s just a unique way of life. If you live on a ranch, you understand. There are as many disappointments and frustrations are there are wins, but you just have to move on,” said Terry. “You have to let it go and then try it again. It’s not for the wimpy ones.” 

Dahl reflected on his life experience as a rancher with the same charm as the young man driving two miles with a beautiful girl “unknowingly” on his tailgate.  

“It’s a great way of life. I wouldn’t trade it for anything, but you don’t want to enter into a contract like this with a poor partner. This has been a wonderful experience because of my wife.”