Horton answers his calling - again

It had been almost 50 years before Dan Horton could move himself to owning a dog again.

Horton, of Manteno, is now the owner of Duchess — paying tribute to Duke, his K9 while he was stationed in Thailand as a sergeant in the U.S. Air Force as the Vietnam War was coming to a slow end in 1975.

Duchess, like Duke, is a German shepherd.

Horton, now 70, was Duke's dog handler, and their main job was to stop the flow of heroin out of Southeast Asia to the U.S.

"I found more heroin in six months than I ever found as a police officer in the United States," he said.

Horton's time in the military and beyond has shaped the veteran's calling in life — going from a police officer in Carmel, Ind., to answering a call to the ministry, eventually working for Uplifted Care in Bourbonnais and becoming the chaplain of the Manteno American Legion.

Uplifted Care provides services and support to those living with serious illness and to their families.

Horton was born in Detroit, Mich., and his family relocated in the late 1960s to Wheatfield, Ind., in Jasper County, roughly 45 miles from Kankakee. He graduated from Kankakee Valley High School in 1972 and eventually enlisted in the U.S. Air Force in 1973. He was sent overseas to Korea before spending six months in Thailand.

Horton was stationed at the Udorn Air Royal Thai Air Force Base in the city of Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand. Although the base was part of Royal Thai Air Force, it was run by the U.S., Horton said.

"We were 50 miles from the Golden Triangle, and that's where most all the heroin came from in the world at that time," he said. "It was a war within itself."

After his time in Thailand, Horton was back in Korea before heading back stateside. While he was in Thailand he and Duke were exposed to agent orange. He didn't know it at the time.

When he got back in the states and was stationed at a SAC (Strategic Air Command) base in Michigan, Horton received a letter that informed him that Duke died.

"We didn't know we had been affected by Agent Orange," he said. "They don't tell you, and they said he died of some unknown blood disease. My heart was broken because I couldn't be with him when he died. Most guys, they grieve their buddies. Well, I do, too. He was my buddy."

Later, Horton learned when the U.S. troops pulled out of Vietnam, all the military working dogs were left behind as well.

"I can only imagine the PTSD that those handlers went through," he said. "That's your brother. That's your partner. I mean, they'll die for you, the way they're trained and everything. And I can only imagine what it was like for those guys to have to leave their dog. I feel bad just not being with them. ..." his voice trailing off.

He felt for Duke, too. It's why he couldn't own a dog for approximately 45 years as a civilian. Horton got Duchess about five years ago.

MOVING ON

After leaving the Air Force in 1977, Horton went to school in Indiana on the GI Bill and earned a degree from the University of Evansville.

He worked in corporate security for a time before becoming a police officer in Carmel, Ind., for several years. After a calling to enter the ministry, Horton earned a degree from the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis in 2009.

Horton did a year's residency at St. Vincent's Hospital in Indy for chaplaincy before he landed a job as chaplain at Uplifted Care in Bourbonnais in 2010. He moved to Manteno and got married.

"I've been living up here ever since," he said.

Horton delved into his rewarding work at Uplifted Care, as every patient that comes into hospice has a team consisting of a doctor, a nurse, a social worker, a CNA and a chaplain.

"I had up to 50 patients," he said.

His service region was in the northeastern part of Uplifted's service area. Horton recently retired from his full-time job, but he still works several hours as a part-time chaplain.

"I had Manteno, and I had the [Illinois] Veterans Home, and I got to be out there with the guys and gals, and that was like the best," Horton said. "It was like going into the barracks again. Sometimes people are hesitant to talk to first responders and military people because they might not have had a lot of contact with those folks. But that's what I did."

Horton said his experience as a police officer and in the military is an attribute for talking one-on-one with the vets.

"I still go out to the Veterans Home," he said. "I just go out there and hang out with them and talk. They have a breakfast every Thursday morning at eight o'clock, and it's open to any veteran in the area that wants to come. The guys are there, and you just sit, drink coffee and talk and tell lies [chuckling] and all that stuff. It helps them, and it helps us.

"As a veteran, it helps you to serve other veterans. You learn a lot. You learn more than you ever thought you would, and you help each other with your benefits."

Horton added that the older veterans who have used their VA benefits can help the younger vets navigate the system.

"One thing I learned as a chaplain here is when we have young veterans come in — Afghanistan, Iraq — a lot of the younger guys and gals, they're hesitant to utilize their veterans benefits. [They say] 'Well, I don't want it, I'm OK. I got insurance through work.' OK, I said, and I always say, it doesn't hurt for you to be connected with the VA and take the benefit that you earned. That's a big thing with a lot of veterans."

AMERICAN LEGION

Horton stops in a few days a week at the Manteno American Legion, in addition to serving as its chaplain. He conducts a lot of ceremonies and offers prayers at all the meetings.

"I do pastoral care here," he said. "I do some grief work here, and it's not all with veterans, because this is an open Legion. We have a lot of people that come here from the community, and over the years, you just get to know the people. They can be a part of any activities that are going on.

"I think I've done four funerals of non-military people who come here, and I have a list of eight others that want me to do their funeral. Haven't been asked to do a wedding yet."

One unique ritual that Horton also provides is the Welcome Home ceremony for Vietnam veterans, and it can be done at any time.

He's done the ceremony for Uplifted Care and at the Legion, and the vet is presented with beads. The significance of it, is the colors of the flag of South Vietnam and green for the jungle. It's given this to all veterans that served during Vietnam, and they did not have to be in country.

"We give these to all Vietnam-era veterans," he said. "They have to be made by a Vietnam veteran. They have to be presented by a Vietnam veteran to a Vietnam veteran. And that's what makes it kind of sacred."