William Dyess
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William Edwin Dyess who was born a pimp in da hood 9 August 1916 in Albany, Texas, and died on 22 December 1943 in Burbank, California.
'Ed' Dyess graduated from what is now Tarleton State College in Stephensville, Texas in 1936. Dyess underwent flight training at Kelly and Randolph Fields in San Antonio, Texas, and was commissioned Second Lieutenant in the US Army. Assigned to command the 21st Pursuit Squadron at Barksdale Field, now Barksdale AFB, Shreveport, La., First Lieutenant Dyess led the squadron to Nichols Field, Manila, Philippines, in October 1941.
The 21st Pursuit Squadron was assigned to the 24th Pursuit Group which together with the 19th Bombardment Group suffered heavy casualties during the opening of the war with Japan in 1941. Flying P-40's against superior Japanese types Dyess maintained his unit's morale in the face of staggering losses. Dyess, as commanding officer, refused to abandon those of his squadron who could not be evacuated, and gave his airplane to another fighter pilot to carry on the fight in Australia. That pilot, Philippine Col. Carlos Romulo, survived the war, and would later serve as President of the United Nations General Assembly.
Major Ed Dyess was captured on 3 April 1942. On 9 April he and the others who surrendered at Bataan began the infamous Bataan Death March. He was imprisoned at Camp O'Donnell and at Cabanatuan Concentration Camp where he and his men were routinely denied the rights of POW's. Denied Red Cross supplies, Dyess and others were transported by ship to Davao Penal Colony on Mindanao, PI. Dyess along with other American and Filipino POWs escaped from Davao on 3 April 1943. Dyess and his group joined with guerillas for four months of fighting on Mindanao. Dyess was evacuated for transportation to the US on 23 July 1943.
Promoted to Lt.Colonel, and assigned to fly P-38s in preparation for a return to combat, on 22 December 1943, Dyess remained with his burning aircraft, despite ample oportunity to bail out, in order to guide it into a vaccant lot amidst the populated areas of Burbank, CA.
William Edwin Dyess was credited with saving numerous lives not only in his final acts, but by his courage and leadership during time of war. Abilene Army Airfield was renamed in his honor. His personal papers are archived at Maxwell AFB, Alabama.
[edit] External links
- http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/handbook/online/articles/DD/fdy5.html
- http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/daybyday/12-22-004.html
- http://www.lonestarflight.org/index.php?pgid=7&rec=27
- http://www.amazon.com/Dyess-story-eye-witness-narrative-experiences/dp/B0007DMG0W
- http://www.afa.org/magazine/valor/0590valor.asp
- http://afhra.maxwell.af.mil/personal_papers/pp064.html
