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Gone but not forgotten
  
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By Rhonda Moore
His father served on one of World War II’s “fightingest” ships, but Gary Stapley had no idea until he heard from the Forgotten Heroes Foundation.
What he discovered is that his father, gunner’s second mate Dean C. Stapley, was involved in nearly every major battle in the Pacific during WWII.
Gary Stapley was on hand Nov. 12, at the 2008 Aurora Veterans Salute when the Forgotten Heroes Foundation honored his father with the accolades for his service during the war.
Those accolades include six medals and five accompanying ribbons for his part in 11 campaigns, or battles, fought during WWII. The elder Stapley was in every major water-borne battle in the Pacific except Iwo Jima, said Lt. Colonel George H. Ward, retired U.S. Air Force.
“I feel very strongly that it’s important these people receive their honors and whatever is due them,” Ward said.
Ward volunteers for the Colorado-based organization that aims to ensure every veteran receives his or her military honors, regardless of when their term of service ended. Its goal is to seek out the men and women who were awarded medals, ribbons, badges or other special honors but were never presented them.
Facing a WWII population that is dying at the rate of 1,000 veterans a day, the foundation’s mission is becoming increasingly more urgent, Ward said.
In about 50 percent of the cases, those honors come posthumously.
Dean Stapley ranks among those who didn’t live long enough to see his awards ceremony, a significance not lost on his only child. To honor his father’s memory, and to keep the memory alive for his children, Gary Stapley, his wife and two adult children, dedicated the day to attend the awards ceremony he calls “electrifying.”
“It was very emotional,” Stapley said. “I had no idea how many battles that ship was in. I was in awe.”
Stapley grew up with stories about his father’s service but said the elder Stapley would have called the ceremony much ado about nothing. Like many veterans who served in combat, Dean Stapley considered defending his country part of “just doing their job,” Stapley said.
“That’s pretty much the crux of all our military,” Stapley said. “They’re doing their job, just there taking care of us.”
Stapley is familiar with the overriding humility of veterans from his work at a Castle Rock funeral home, where he helps veterans pre-arrange their funeral services. His work puts him in a position to offer veterans services not available to all customers, an irony not lost on his boss, Jim Gross, funeral director at Olinger Andrews Caldwell Gibson Mortuary in Castle Rock.
“It’s a unique situation that he works with other people going through loss and many of those are veterans and now he’s had the opportunity to take part in it himself with the awards,” Gross said. “I think it’s wonderful. These are awards because his father had been in the service and now the second generation gets to take advantage of that.”
Dean C. Stapley served on the destroyer ship the USS Caperton. The Forgotten Heroes Foundation honored Stapley with the following awards:
Combat Action Ribbon
Navy Good Conduct Medal and Ribbon
American Campaign Medal and Ribbon
Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal and Ribbon, with 11 stars for his part in 11 campaigns, or battles
WWII Victory Medal and Ribbon
Philippine Liberation Medal and Ribbon with two stars
What he discovered is that his father, gunner’s second mate Dean C. Stapley, was involved in nearly every major battle in the Pacific during WWII.
Gary Stapley was on hand Nov. 12, at the 2008 Aurora Veterans Salute when the Forgotten Heroes Foundation honored his father with the accolades for his service during the war.
Those accolades include six medals and five accompanying ribbons for his part in 11 campaigns, or battles, fought during WWII. The elder Stapley was in every major water-borne battle in the Pacific except Iwo Jima, said Lt. Colonel George H. Ward, retired U.S. Air Force.
“I feel very strongly that it’s important these people receive their honors and whatever is due them,” Ward said.
Ward volunteers for the Colorado-based organization that aims to ensure every veteran receives his or her military honors, regardless of when their term of service ended. Its goal is to seek out the men and women who were awarded medals, ribbons, badges or other special honors but were never presented them.
Facing a WWII population that is dying at the rate of 1,000 veterans a day, the foundation’s mission is becoming increasingly more urgent, Ward said.
In about 50 percent of the cases, those honors come posthumously.
Dean Stapley ranks among those who didn’t live long enough to see his awards ceremony, a significance not lost on his only child. To honor his father’s memory, and to keep the memory alive for his children, Gary Stapley, his wife and two adult children, dedicated the day to attend the awards ceremony he calls “electrifying.”
“It was very emotional,” Stapley said. “I had no idea how many battles that ship was in. I was in awe.”
Stapley grew up with stories about his father’s service but said the elder Stapley would have called the ceremony much ado about nothing. Like many veterans who served in combat, Dean Stapley considered defending his country part of “just doing their job,” Stapley said.
“That’s pretty much the crux of all our military,” Stapley said. “They’re doing their job, just there taking care of us.”
Stapley is familiar with the overriding humility of veterans from his work at a Castle Rock funeral home, where he helps veterans pre-arrange their funeral services. His work puts him in a position to offer veterans services not available to all customers, an irony not lost on his boss, Jim Gross, funeral director at Olinger Andrews Caldwell Gibson Mortuary in Castle Rock.
“It’s a unique situation that he works with other people going through loss and many of those are veterans and now he’s had the opportunity to take part in it himself with the awards,” Gross said. “I think it’s wonderful. These are awards because his father had been in the service and now the second generation gets to take advantage of that.”
Dean C. Stapley served on the destroyer ship the USS Caperton. The Forgotten Heroes Foundation honored Stapley with the following awards:
Combat Action Ribbon
Navy Good Conduct Medal and Ribbon
American Campaign Medal and Ribbon
Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal and Ribbon, with 11 stars for his part in 11 campaigns, or battles
WWII Victory Medal and Ribbon
Philippine Liberation Medal and Ribbon with two stars
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