Sen. Bill Nelson's (D-Fla.) new military staffer hails from a distinguished military and political family.
Bale Dalton joined the Floridian's staff in June as a defense special assistant. His father, Roy Bale "Skip" Dalton. Jr., is the federal judge for the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida in Orlando, a nomination which Nelson shepherded through the Senate. Prior to his judgeship, Skip Dalton was a counsel for Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) in 2005-2006.
His uncle is the former Secretary of the Navy, John Dalton. He served during the Clinton Administration after serving chairing the Federal Home Loan Bank Board under President Jimmy Carter. His grandfather, Roy Bale Dalton, was a decorated Navy pilot who served during the Second World War.
The youngest Dalton is a distinguished service member as well. After graduating with merit from the U.S. Naval Academy in 2002, he performed search and rescue missions during Hurricane Katrina. In addition, he was deployed to Iraq four times and Afghanistan once during Operations Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom. Dalton graduated from the U.S. Naval War College in 2010 and earned his MPP in international and global affairs from Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government this year. He has been a helicopter pilot in the Navy Reserves since 2012.
