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Dale Stickrath and Culver’s Yulee owner Marty Greye with the banner that Culver’s had made. Photo by Sean Mathew Rosenthal/News-Leader -
Culver’s Yulee owner Marty Greye wishing Dale Stickrath a happy 99th birthday. Photo by Sean Mathew Rosenthal/News-Leader -
Dale Stickrath and his daughter Debby ordering at Culver’s on his 99th birthday. Photo by Sean Mathew Rosenthal/News-Leader -
Stickrath’s dogtag. Photo by Sean Mathew Rosenthal/News-Leader -
A collection of memorabilia Stickrath brought with him to his 99th birthday party at Culver’s. Photo by Sean Mathew Rosenthal/News-Leader -
Stickrath’s collection of WWII era money he said soldiers who had been to opposite ends of the world would trade with each other. Photo by Sean Mathew Rosenthal/News-Leader -
Stickrath’s WWII ration book. Photo by Sean Mathew Rosenthal/News-Leader
Around 80 years ago, Dale Stickrath was in the South Pacific, flying 17 hours over water in the bottom of a B-24 bomber on a mission to destroy oil refineries. On Monday he celebrated his 99th birthday.
Sharp as a tack, Stickrath goes to the Culver’s in Yulee with his daughter every month, and owner Marty Greye wanted to do something special for the World War II veteran on his 99th birthday. Stickrath was met at the door by Culver’s team members and a banner with a picture of a B-24 on it wishing him a happy birthday. Instead of just one custard sundae, Greye made sure Stickrath had two. Stickrath’s daughter says his keys to longevity are doing what he wants to do and having fun while doing it.
Stickrath arrived with a briefcase full of memorabilia, including a ration book, his medals, aerial photographs, Japanese invasion money, his dogtag, spent cartridges, a few .50 caliber bullets and a piece taken off a Japanese warplane. He did not need to do this. Stickrath does not need to speak at schools and share his experiences of heating bricks in a fire to warm his featherbed or going on a “doggone hush-hush” special assignment in the South Pacific. Stickrath is still around to share those things because he knows he is living history and he knows it’s worthwhile to share.
Growing up in the 1920s and 30s, death was a part of life. Stickrath’s grandfather was a mortician, so he has a different relationship with death than most. People say things like, “So what’s the plan for the big 100?” and Stickrath knows he will have to be lucky to be there. Stickrath said he does already consider himself “damn lucky.”
Stickrath shared a memory of an assignment to sink a crashed destroyer. Flying over the ocean, on the horizon he saw wakes coming off of Japanese boats. Eighteen of them, each with a full crew.
“I said, ‘holy shit we’re in trouble.’”
Stickrath said he was more afraid of anti-aircraft weaponry than any other plane. Some anti-aircraft missiles at that time were really just a collection of shrapnel flying through the sky. One time a chunk of cast iron made its way into the ball gun with Stickrath and bounced all around him around the compartment.
“All it done was rip my pants,” Stickrath said.
Another time he flew back to base with a hole large enough for a man to fit through, having been shot out of the tail of his B-24. Stickrath said he couldn’t see the tail of his plane from his spot in the ball gun, probably for the best.
Greye, the Culver’s Yulee owner, said that Stickrath keeps him to a high standard. Greye pointed to his own clean shaven face and said Stickrath tells him to, “Keep it tight.” Owning a Culver’s is really about these kinds of relationships, Greye said, and it’s good for his heart and soul, too.
“These days people have forgotten to think while going through daily life,” Stickrath said. “Nowadays we just go through the motions and need a bigger vision for life.”
Stickrath’s advice to those currently serving is to “take it one day at a time. That’s what we did, that’s all we could do.”
srosenthal@fbnewsleader.com
