New Veteran Oral History
Dr. Chris Magra, Director of the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War, recently conducted a new veteran oral history interview with Derrick Dale, a Tennessee veteran and former U.S. Navy Seabee. The interview is now available on the Center’s YouTube channel.
Watch the interview on YouTube
Born on a naval base in Pensacola, Florida, Dale moved to Tennessee in 1999. After graduating from high school, he enlisted in the U.S. Navy in June 2007. Inspired by his grandfather’s service and his own interest in carpentry, Dale trained as a Seabee builder, joining the Navy’s renowned construction force.
During eight years of active-duty service, Dale completed four overseas deployments to Kuwait, Okinawa, Afghanistan, and Sasebo, Japan. His work included renovating housing facilities in Kuwait, completing concrete projects in Okinawa and Japan, and constructing command buildings for the U.S. Army in Afghanistan. He also served in small Seabee detachments that carried out construction missions around the world.
After leaving active duty in 2015, Dale returned to Tennessee and continued to build on the skills and experience he developed in the Navy. Using the GI Bill, he earned an associate degree in Architectural Design Technology from Pellissippi State Community College. He is now pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Construction Management at the University of Tennessee.
Dale’s oral history offers a firsthand account of military service, the global work of the Navy Seabees, and the transition from active duty to higher education and a new career. Through interviews such as this one, the Center for the Study of Tennesseans and War preserves the experiences of Tennessee veterans for students, scholars, and the public.