Ulis Dean Heckel, Commander, USN (Ret.)

Dean Heckel is a former CO and XO of the NROTC Unit and has been an active member of the association since his retirement in 1991.

Dean joined the Navy in 1956 after high school and attended Iowa State University in the NROTC program. He was then accepted at the Naval Academy and attended Purdue University in the Navy Scientific Education Program graduating in 1964 with a Masters in Electrical Engineering.

After graduation, he entered the Submarine Service and served on various submarines as Supply, Weapons, Engineer, Operations, Navigator, Executive and Commanding Officer, as well as Chief Staff Officer for a Submarine Squadron. His subspecialty was Submarine Operations and tours on COMSUBPAC Staff and two tours on COMSUBLANT Staff as Deputy Chief of Staff. His twilight tour was as the Executive Officer and Commanding Officer in the NROTC program at the University of Wisconsin from 1986-1991.

Following retirement, he entered the Seminary in the Episcopal Church to become a Priest and Chaplain. He served as the Senior Pastor of the two parishes from 1994-2004 and as a Veterans Affairs Hospital Chaplain in Madison from 2004-2014. He currently serves three small parishes as their Supply Priest and as a Pastoral Counselor.