Dilly: ‘I feel it’s my duty to pay it forward’
Advocate for veterans honored for serving in 1,000 military funerals with Coshocton County Honor Guard
COSHOCTON − A longtime champion for local veterans was recently honored for serving at 1,000 military funerals in Coshocton County.
Coshocton County Commissioners issued a proclamation to David Dilly of Fresno for his work through the Coshocton County Honor Guard. He’s the sixth member to achieve the milestone after George Leach, Jim Stone, Fred Lent, Jack Lipps and Jack Patterson.
“To me its humbling to make it to 1,000 funerals,” Dilly said at the proclamation presentation. “It takes a lot of dedication and a lot of sacrifices to make it to 1,000.”
The 77-year-old was inducted into the Ohio Veterans Hall of Fame in 2017. He’s also a former Coshocton County Veterans Service officer and current member of the Coshocton County Veterans Service Council, representing the AMVETS. Dilly was also Coshocton County Recorder from 2006 to 2012.
The 1963 graduate of Warsaw High School served in the U.S. Air Force from 1965 to 1968. He was with the 366th TFW as a weapons mechanic
and was honorably discharged as a sergeant.
He’s a member of AMVEST Post 36, VFW Post 1330, American Legion Post 65, Coshocton County Vietnam Veterans and DAV Chapter 74. He’s also coordinated several honor flights for veterans of Coshocton and surrounding counties to tour Washington D.C. while serving as a chaperone.
“I was one of the fortunate ones to come home and I feel it’s my duty to pay it forward,” Dilly said.
“I’m here and many aren’t here, so I push myself to do those things those other guys didn’t have the opportunity to do.”
The honor guard currently has about 30 members. Dilly was the youngest when he joined in 2000. He’s now the second oldest. Who does what at funerals can change, but Dilly is often the commander, in charge of folding the flag and presenting it to the deceased’s family.
Dilly doesn’t remember his first funeral, but he remembers the second. It was about 15 below zero and he noted that a dove released probably wasn’t going to make it home, because there was a hawk on its tail.
“Back before I was the (veterans) service officer, I was trying to learn what the service office does. That’s when I had the opportunity to go to military funerals and I went to a few of them before becoming service officer,” Dilly said. “Once you get started on it, it becomes a brotherhood and you appreciate the honor to be able to do that.”
Along with the honor guard members, Dilly also wants to give credit to the funeral homes, government agencies and local media for giving the honor guard and their work exposure and cooperation.
There’s a lot of counties you don’t see that, he said.
“That really helps to keep us energized and going forward,” Dilly said. “A lot of these guys, when they do a funeral, it’s a lot of their day gone. It takes from the beginning to the end. They sacrifice a lot.”
Leonard Hayhurst is a community content coordinator and general news reporter for the Coshocton Tribune with more than 15 years of local journalism experience and multiple awards from the Ohio Associated Press. He can be reached at 740-295-3417 or llhayhur@coshoctontribune.com. Follow him on Twitter at @llhayhurst.