Welcome to R. Dean Dake

Ron was born in rural Michigan in the heart of the Great Depression. He was raised on the family farm, learning from an early age the value of hard work and a loving family.

He enlisted into the Air Force during the Korean War, and after finishing Radio Operator’s School, was sent to Korea where he was detached to the 3rd Marine Corps Air Wing at Pohang. He served over 20 years on active duty with assignments to South Carolina, Bermuda, California, Texas, Mississippi, Germany, North Africa and Michigan with stops in Okinawa, England, Italy, Malta, Mexico, Canada, and 43 of the contiguous states.

After retiring from the Air Force, he worked over 20 years for the Veterans Administration (now known as The Department of Veterans Affairs) in Columbia, South Carolina. Ron then accepted the position of Executive Director of the Congressional Medal of Honor Society Headquarters and Museum aboard the U.S.S. Yorktown, a part of the Maritime Museum at Patriots Point, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, where he served 18 months.

He is now semi-retired and living in West Columbia, South Carolina, where he spends his spare time playing the guitar, carving in wood, writing, and spending time with friends and family.