Dale Enderlin of Huntsville, Texas, by blending dual experiences into his life, has provided a means of peace and tranquility, healing and meaning, for all who have traversed the journey as well.
Dale, you serve as Executive Director of Operation Red Wings Foundation and mentioned it is near and dear to your heart. Please share its mission and how it serves as a road or path to others for healing and peace.
Operation Red Wings Foundation, originally known as “Lone Survivor,” was rebranded to bring honor to the memories of the nineteen soldiers (eleven of whom were Navy Seals along with eight U.S. Army Special Operations aviators) who lost their lives in a battle of the same name. This battle took place in Afghanistan from late June to mid-July 2005 on the slopes of a mountain near Asadabad. Through military conflicts such as this, veterans come back home many times with memories filled with conflict, carnage, and confusion, thereby bringing a form of this same chaos to their own family. Known as PTSD, post-traumatic stress disorder, it creates strife and conflict in the home and must be dealt with on a professional level to change its course. The family, in welcoming their beloved one back home, are unaware of the experiences and resulting trauma that may harbor within the veteran and are confused when he or she lashes out in unexpected ways. This now puts the spouse and children within their own type of “war zone” and creates a form of stress in their lives as well.
Operation Red Wings Foundation provides a path to healing and change for the veteran, the spouse, and the children through retreats that provide resources that, if utilized, can start the family on a road to understanding and change. Being involved in this process is a passion of mine and has brought a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction to all of us who work toward this end, knowing that more than 3,500 veterans have been served since 2011. In 2022, we had our highest number of applications to attend our retreats.
The retreat location is in Huntsville at the property formerly known as Camp Coyote, but I am excited to announce we have recently purchased almost 15 acres of land off Hwy 19 on Dusty Road. This new 5000-foot complex, now in the planning stages, will house up to twelve veterans at a time and includes a kitchen and rooms for therapy, yoga, and staff. This new facility should be functional within the next twelve months, if all goes as planned. A serene outdoor environment, well-planned facilities, and excellent staffing can go a long way in countering the crippling effects of PTSD for all involved. And this is at no cost to the veteran and family members. This is 100% privately funded.
In the past, our fundraisers have taken place in cities across the U.S. Since moving the office to Huntsville in 2019, we are hoping to establish financial contacts here. This is a city that is steeped in a love for veterans and their causes. The fact that the H.E.A.R.T.S. Veterans Museum of Texas and the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall are here is proof of that. We are working to build relationships here for the funding of Operation Red Wings Foundation and the critical needs this organization helps to meet. These funding opportunities may come from local golf tournaments, community-wide fundraising dinners, local clubs, private donors, and other means. We welcome any and all interested toward this end. Our contact information will be shown at the end of this article.
This path involves riding a motorcycle, so I guess you can say it is the actual roadways and where they go that inspire me! I find I feel closest to God when I ride the roads and am enveloped in the beautiful scenery He provides. My wife Shawnna goes along with me for many of these outings. When we first met, she would have nothing to do with riding a motorcycle of any kind. At the time, we were living in The Woodlands, and I was commuting to my job in Houston.
I grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana where I attended high school and loved sports, especially baseball. Upon graduation, I moved to Fort Myers, Florida, so I could continue my dream of playing professional baseball, then came to Sam Houston State University for my junior and senior years. My aspiration of being a major league pitcher never panned out, but I did fall in love with the small-town feel of this community. After graduating in 1981 with a degree in accounting, I moved to Houston to start a job with the accounting firm Arthur Young, later renamed Ernst and Young. After spending several years of “paying my dues” by working12-hour days, six days a week, I left and went to work for another firm in the city. I later went solo, establishing a sole proprietorship practice. During this time, and being familiar with the requirements of non-profit organizations, I was asked to help with the newly formed Lone Survivor Foundation, filling their accounting needs. This was only a 4-8 hour per week job which I could do alongside my own work, and since I had never served in the military, it gave me an avenue through which I could show my appreciation for their service by giving back to veterans. In 2013, they asked me to come onboard full-time, which I did.
Fast-forward to late 2014, my wife Shawnna suggested a motorcycle trip, which totally shocked me since she avoided this style of travel at all costs! We boarded my bike and headed to Huntsville for the day. After polishing off a delicious chicken fried steak at the old Café Texan, we headed north on Hwy 19 to enjoy the countryside when a “For Sale” sign caught my eye. Making a U-turn, we headed south to view the 3 acres and house on Robinson Road that would become our home in January 2015. Seeing two doe walk across the road compelled Shawnna to ask, “What would you think about moving to Huntsville?” For the next four years, I commuted 80.5 miles each way to my job located near NRG Stadium, which allowed me plenty of time to pray and reflect on things as I drove in the quietness of my car. People asked how I could stand that drive each day, and my response was always that it paled in comparison to what our veterans have had to endure.
In 2019, Tom Fordyce took over the foundation and moved the office to Huntsville at 1414 11th Street, a move that I celebrated, for now my job would be close to home. Tom retired 15 months ago, and I was promoted to Executive Director. It’s been a fruitful journey and will now continue on in new surroundings that enable us to accomplish our goals with the utmost success.
I love to do woodworking projects and totally gutted our house after we moved in. We love the feel that an old farmhouse décor brings, so I rebuilt it to resemble this look, complete with a fence board ceiling, wood walls, and open shelving. Shawnna and I love it. She looks forward to the comfort of her farmhouse-style home each day upon returning from her work as a dental assistant at the TDCJ Goree Unit. I have three sons, Brooks, Patrick, and Corey, and their families include three grandsons to boast about. They are now becoming recipients of my woodworking projects. I recently built a “rocking motorcycle” for one of my grandsons and have more projects on the list to accomplish.
Other interests (and responsibilities!) include caring for our 41 chickens and their eggs, which we sell to Hunziker’s Farm for resell. We also have six rescue dogs, a terrier,a black mouth cur, a mutt, a border collie, a lab, and a pit bull. We belong to the First Baptist Church, and I oversee the Upward basketball program for kids. I enjoy an occasional round of golf, and of course, we enjoy our biking trips, with some flyfishing on the side. For the long trips, we transport my 2016 Indian Roadmaster to our location and then enjoy the roads and scenery once there.
Work hard! Focus on your dreams and never give up. But work hard. None of us are entitled to anything, and we should be grateful for every opportunity that comes our way.
OPERATION RED WINGS FOUNDATION
1414 11thStreet, Huntsville, TX 77340
P: 936-755-6075 X 102
C: 832-278-5803/832-278-5801
dale@orwfoundation.org
orwfoundation.org
Resources for more information regarding Operation Red Wings:
•WarsoftheWorld/OperationRedWings
•Leave No Man Behind, by Dr. Tony Brooks
Postcards Magazine
936-293-1188
PO Box 690
Huntsville, TX 77342
