Lt. Col. Dale L. Hughes (Retired) was born August 8th, 1934 and died on May 28, 2013. He attended school in Monticello and graduated from Monticello High School in 1952. He attended Monticello A&M for two years, Florida State for two years and graduated with a BGS in History from the University of Nebraska at Omaha in 1974. He was a retired Lt. Col. of the U.S. Air Force, following 22 years of active service. The 3 years immediately preceding his retirement from the military in May 1977, he served as executive officer for the commander of the 832nd Air Division and as deputy base commander at Cannon Air Force Base in Clovis, NM. He was commissioned through the Aviation Cadet Program in December 1956, after completing pilot training at Bainbridge AFB in Georgia and Bryan AFB in Texas. As a combat ready F-100 fighter pilot and later as a forward air controller, he flew 296 combat missions in Southeast Asia. In addition to state side assignments, he served tours of duty in Turkey, England, Japan, Korea, Vietnam and the Panama Canal Zone. His military decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with 11 oak leaf clusters, the Meritorious Service Medal and the Vietnamese Civic Action Honor Medal, first Class. When he returned to Monticello in 1977, he served as manager of the Monticello Pink Tomato Growers Association. He also served as Drew County Judge for 9 1/2 years. He was a member of the Mt. Pleasanton Campground United Methodist Church. Lt. Col. Hughes loved God, his family and country!