Toby Dill didn’t get a ceremony when he returned from the Vietnam War, but he got one during this year’s Veterans Day.
Honors U.S. History students at Clarkston Junior High organized and invited Dill to a “Freedom is Never Free” ceremony in the Jenna Beno Memorial Courtyard.
“It’s awesome, really cool ? I’m really honored,” said Dill, who was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966, and served as a combat engineer in Vietnam.
“Vietnam veterans are unsung heroes,” said Kristi Beno, Jenna’s mother, during the presentation.
A friend of the Beno family for 30 years, Dill was a motorcycle riding buddy and fellow soldier to Jenna, who passed away in 2012.
A Harley-Davidson enthusiast, he participated in many rides to benefit children and veterans. Jenna was his passenger in the summer of 2009, before she deployed to Iraq.
Dill, who is now battling pancreatic cancer, served from 1966-1968. As a combat engineer in Vietnam, he operated a backhoe to construct bunkers, command posts, and landing zones, often under fire.
“Many times he depended on his battle buddies to watch his back,” Kristi said.
He met his wife, Susan, through a care package to Vietnam. They developed a pen pal relationship, and married when he returned home.
Junior high students dedicated the first service stone to Jenna in 2013, and have added a new stone every year since.
“It’s always very humbling for my husband (Bill) and I,” Kristi said. “We’re honored to teach children about things they can’t imagine.”
? Phil Custodio