A Heart of Service

Buffalo resident Brad Dahl speaks to his service locally and abroad

For all of his adult life, Brad Dahl has lived in Buffalo.  His home is near the former Varner Convenience Store, and he has raised his family in Wright County, dedicating his life to serving the community in more ways than one.

For almost 35 years, Dahl has served in the U.S. Air Force as an airplane mechanic. While he’s spent time away in active duty and has been stationed in other areas away from home, his heart has always been in the local area, driving him to do good for not only the betterment of citizens of the United States, but also the citizens of Wright County.

 

Service to Country

For over three decades Brad Dahl has devoted his life and his career to the U.S. armed forces, serving in the Air Force. Currently, he is an E-8 Senior Master Sergeant, serving as an aircraft mechanic, specifically for C-130 planes.

He is dressed in uniform when he meets you for an interview, smiling and jovial as he shakes your hand, politely yet with confidence. After a long day at work, he’s sits down across from your desk, sporting a can of Diet Mountain Dew, waiting for the inevitable barrage of questions.

Instead, you fall into easy conversation about the Air Force, patriotism, and society for a while. Dahl is easygoing, ready to laugh at anything, but also holding within a quiet wisdom waiting to shine forth at the exact moment. His humility is commendable, even while boasting a uniform and service record as long as his arm.

Dahl has been deployed a number of times, serving in areas such as South Korea and Iraq. He’s been stationed in every direction of the country, including Florida and Texas, and is currently facing overseas deployment to a desert location, where he will serve for four months, returning home around the beginning of March 2020.

“The Air Force seemed like a logical step for me,” Dahl explained when asked about his decision to enlist. “I enlisted right after high school. I didn’t want to go to college, and I loved planes and flight, so the Air Force was the next step. I’ve just stayed because I love the work and enjoy what I do.”

The idea of potentially sacrificing his life for his country is not something that Dahl “worries too much about,” sharing that his deep, personal faith as a Christian has him more than ready to serve on behalf of America, if it calls upon him. While he doesn’t necessarily wish to serve in hostile zones, he is ready and willing to take up the fight, if the moment arises.

This idea of military commitment seems to run through the Dahl bloodline, because Dahl shared that his father, grandfather, and other relatives have history with the military. Even his grown children, Sabrina and Aaron, have followed his footsteps and enlisted. Sabrina serves with the Air National Guard, and Aaron just finished basic training in Texas.

“Making this my career really came from me just enjoying the work,” Dahl explained. “The comradery and the fulfillment propel me to keep at it. I’ve enjoyed my service, and I continue to enjoy it as I go to work. There’s a sense of service there, and knowing that you manage situations with a group of men and women who have your back and know you.”

And, perhaps that is what propelled Dahl to take his service to another level – closer to home.

 

Service to Community

Founded around 13 years ago, Project EverGreen prides itself on giving back to the community and the earth, through a vision of “A greener, cooler Earth.Healthier, happier people.” By creating green spaces for communities, people come together to make a difference and educate themselves about the environment.

Then, there’s the GreenCare for Troops program, which strives to provide lawncare and landscaping service for military families currently living under deployment. For 13 years, Project EverGreen has served around 11,000 families, with 6,000 volunteers. A value of around $8 million in services has been poured into communities through Project EverGreen.

About 200,000 military personal are deployed overseas in around 177 different countries,

“Oftentimes, basic lawncare and landscaping things get forgotten when someone is deployed,” Dahl shared. “It’s something you have to be conscious of, and often gets overlooked under the stress deployment puts on families. GreenCare for Troops is just a small way to help alleviate that burden, and help families focus.”

Dahl has been a part of the project since 2008, devoted to giving back to families facing deployment in Wright County. He has provided lawncare and snow removal for areas including: Rockford, Annandale, Buffalo, Monticello, and others. He hasn’t gone much outside of Wright County.

“This is really something anyone can do,” Dahl commented. “If you have a lawn mower, you can mow someone’s lawn who may need it more than you think. In most cases, though, professional landscapers and lawncare corporations will donate their time and manpower to this cause to get work done. I just so happen to have equipment, so I do it too.”

The sense of satisfaction Dahl receives from giving back, even a few hours a week, has really fulfilled him. He explained that during deployment, friends have stepped up to the plate to help his family in his absence before, and he appreciates it deeply. Being able to give that sense of relief to families under the same circumstances is “rewarding, and worth the few hours of work.”

“Taking something off of someone’s plate is rewarding,” Dahl said. “There’s enough trouble on the daily when it comes to having a loved one deployed. Being able to alleviate some of those troubles just does it for me.”

 

A Heart of Service

While Dahl has never received Project EverGreen services himself, he has been offered a few times by the non-profit during his deployments. However, he’s declined each time, as he has friends and family who help ease that responsibility. People sowing into his life only drives him to go farther and faster with volunteering and his service in the Air Force.

“Serving people is something I enjoy,” Dahl shared. “In 2016, I donated one of my kidneys to a high school classmate, so this is just at the core of what I love to do, really.”

Dahl credits his love for serving others, again, to his Christian faith.

“Service is an attribute of Jesus Christ,” he shared. “As a believer, I’m called to serve others in love. I try to practice that with each and every day. Whether it’s donating a kidney, shoveling snow, or going into the heart of battle, I know my ability to serve others comes from my faith.”

Dahl will be deploying overseas in October. For information on Project EverGreen, and how you can help or receive services, please visit projectevergreen.org.

Publication: 

The Drummer and The Wright County Journal Press

PO Box 159
108 Central Ave.
Buffalo MN 55313

www.thedrummer.com

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