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FSCC student to help honor unknown soldiers
Dwayne Hale is not just an average college technical student, because next week, he'll get to participate in something momentous.
Hale, an Illinois native who now lives in Pittsburg, is a second-year student in the Fort Scott Community College two-year Harley-Davidson Technician Training Program in Frontenac.
He and another student will travel to Arlington, Va. this weekend to prepare for a ceremony on Sept. 19 at Arlington National Cemetery, across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. During that ceremony, the two students will place a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
The former factory worker said he feels extremely honored to make the trip.
"I consider this to be the biggest honor that I'll be given in my lifetime," Hale said.
The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is not only one soldier's grave, it is also a monument dedicated to all of the American soldiers who have died without their remains being identified.
Hale said he and his companion might possibly meet with U.S. senators and other national leaders, and expect to tour other famous sites in the nation's capital during their trip.
The two students are national officers in the Skills USA program, a national nonprofit leadership organization operated by high school and college students across the country.
Steve Vergara, one of Hale's instructors and director of the Harley-Davidson program, said he is proud one of his students will get to participate in such an honor that is limited to select groups of students.
"It's quite an event," Vergara said. "It's extremely limited (laying the wreath) for anyone in the world to do that."
Hale was elected as a national officer for the Skills USA organization, and he also serves as the organization's college and post-secondary vice president for Kansas, Vergara said.
Hale said in order to become a national officer, he had to obtain a recommendation from the organization's state director and had to go through a lengthy application process.
He and the national president of the Skills USA organization were chosen out of 15 national officers to place the wreath on the famous monument, Hale said.
Before going back to school, Hale said, he worked in a manufacturing facility for 22 years, and he now wants to pursue a career as a Harley-Davidson motorcycle technician or work in some capacity with the brand of motorcycles of which he is particularly fond.
"I do own three Harleys and I do ride 'em," Hale said.
The two-year FSCC program, which provides students with the opportunity to become licensed motorcycle mechanics and technicians, was the perfect place for him to begin this new career venture, Hale said.
Being involved in the Skills USA organization has also allowed him to broaden his horizons and to watch his career go even farther than he thought it could.
"It's (the Harley-Davidson program) a good fit to start my new career," Hale said. "It (Skills USA) has taught me a lot. It's a great networking tool for meeting people and gaining knowledge, and it will give me some credentials."
While his future remains unplanned, Hale said he plans to graduate next spring and then take some time to contemplate any career opportunities he may receive.
"I'm open to all opportunities," he said. "Probably something to do with Harley-Davidson. It's something I enjoy and have a passion for."
The Skills USA organization is a partnership of teachers, students and industry working together to help ensure that America has a skilled workforce, and it is second only to the national FFA organization in terms of student-operated organizations, Hale said.
"We help each student excel," he said. "It's more about leadership, training, community service and networking."
The national organization consists of about 285,000 students and about 14,500 instructors in 13,000 school chapters, according to the Skills USA Internet site.
The organization also conducts several competitions throughout the year at both the state and local levels, in which student participants may test their technical and vocational skills in such related programs as nursing, diesel mechanics and, of course, the Harley-Davidson technician program, Hale said.
Participants compete in more than 80 different categories during the competition, he said.