An American War Hero and King of the Hobos

There are 24 U.S. military veterans buried in the Hobo Memorial section in Britt’s Evergreen Cemetery. Eight of the 14 are World War II vets and more recently, the remains of several Vietnam vets were added to the memorial section.

One of the Vietnam veterans that will also be buried there is the 2010 King of the Hobos, Dante Fucwha, whose given name is Michael Patrick Conley.

Dante did three tours of duty in Vietnam, 1968-70. He was an expert sharp shooter part of a long-range reconnaissance patrol or LLRP, a small group of special forces soldiers that patrolled deep into enemy held territory, One time I asked him why he stayed in Vietnam so long and he replied, “We stayed to help and protect each other.”

I was Dante’s friend for almost 30 years and it took me over 15 or those years to learn everything I know about his military background. Like many military veterans, who saw a lot of action, Dante rarely spoke about the time he spent in Nam, but little by little between what he and his friend, Preacher Steve, told me, or just mentioned in a passing conversation, a picture was painted of a true American war hero.

One of 13 children, Michael Patrick Conley was born in 1948 in Cambridge, Mass. Dante said he was born left-handed, but nuns in the Catholic school he attended taught him to be right-handed.

But he also added, “But I always shoot a gun with my left hand.”

Dante left home when he was 14. When he was 18 years old, he was arrested and given the choice of joining the Army or jail. He chose the Army.

In the Army, Michael Patrick Conley became part of the 101^stAirborne Division, nicknamed the Screaming Eagle. He said he picked the name Dante Fuchwha as has code name because he knew the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong wouldn’t be able to pronounce it. When Dante started riding the rails, sometime in the 1970s, he continued to use his code-named has his hobo moniker.

Dante served in Vietnam during the height of the war. He took part in the Tet Offensive in 1968, he was In Saigon for that battle, and in 1969 he took part in the Battle of Hamburger Hill, also referred to Hill #9237. He wasn’t injured or captured during the Battle of Hamburger Hill, but later in 1969, he was captured by the North Vietnamese. Dante was listed as missing in action (MIA) for 187 days. Somehow, he managed to escape captivity. He told me, “It took me five weeks to get back to American lines.”

Among his many military awards are two Silver Stars, three Purple Hearts and five Presidential Citations. During the 1990s and 2000s Dante dealt with several serious health problems. Once he said to me, “I qualify for Agent Orange benefits, but never applied because I didn’t want to take away from families with kids.”

In 2019, Dante was living in Tucson, Ariz., and against his doctor’s advice he left the area to visit a few close friends around the country. He also attended the 2019 Hobo Convention in Britt and visited with friends there. In true Dante style, he showed up at the convention wearing a tee shirt imprinted with a large yellow butterfly that read, “Butterflies appear when Angels are near.”

Under the verse was printed “DANTE 1948-2019.” After leaving Britt, Dante traveled to Staples, Minn.

On December 13, 2019, at a Care Center there, with one of his best friends for life by his side, Dante quietly “caught the westbound.” In his last note to me on Dec. 9, 2019, Dante wrote, “Will be move to Care Center, but Christmas cards to family and the Hobo Nation come first.”

Michael Patrick Conley, also known as Hobo King Dante Fucwha, will be buried on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2011, at 3 p.m. in the Hobo Memorial section in Britt’s Evergreen Cemetery. All are welcome, especially veterans to help celebrate the life of a true American war hero.