Blair County veteran awarded for his service as a submariner

BLAIR COUNTY, Pa. (WTAJ) — Do you know how many people in the U.S. population are qualified in submarines? The answer is 0.02%.

On Monday, a veteran from the Hollidaysburg Veterans Home was awarded by the Holland Club for being qualified in submarines for over 50 years.

The club is part of the United States Submarine Veterans Inc. which awards its members with gold or silver dolphins once they become qualified in submarines.

Cliff Delahanty enlisted in the U.S. Navy in June 1960 and earned his qualification in 1961.

“I enjoyed my time in the service,” Cliff said.

His time in the Navy and as a submariner was cut short after he was shot when he returned home. He was discharged a month later in June 1967.

But Cliff smiled and laughed as he recapped memories of his time and thanked his fellow submariners.

“If it hadn’t been for the bullet, I might have done 20 [years] because I enjoyed the submarine service a lot,” Cliff added.

The Base Commander, Earl Gee, was one of the people that honored Delahanty. He said that Cliff found their organization and contacted them about his qualification.

“We’re always looking for more members to join us,” Gee said.