William Dyess
| William Edwin Dyess | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Birth name | William Edwin Dyess |
| Nickname(s) | "Ed" |
| Born |
August 9, 1916 Albany, Texas |
| Died | December 22, 1943 (aged 27) Burbank, California |
| Buried at | Albany Cemetery, Texas |
| Allegiance |
 United States of America
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Army Air Forces
|
| Years of service | 1937–1943 |
| Rank |
 Lieutenant Colonel
|
| Commands held | 21st Pursuit Squadron |
| Battles/wars | World War II • Battle of Bataan |
| Awards | Distinguished Flying Cross, Distinguished Service Cross, Texas Legislative Medal of Honor |
William Edwin "Ed" Dyess (August 9, 1916 – December 22, 1943) was an officer of the United States Army Air Forces during World War II. He was captured after the Allied loss at the Battle of Bataan and endured the subsequent Bataan Death March. After a year in captivity, he escaped and spent three months on the run before being evacuated from the Philippines by a U.S. submarine. Once back in the U.S., he recounted the story of his capture and imprisonment, providing the first widely published eye-witness account of the brutality of the Death March. He returned to duty in the Army Air Forces but was killed in a training accident months later.
Born and raised in Albany, Texas, son of Judge Richard T. and Hallie Graham Dyess. Dyess attended Albany High School where he played football and ran track and field. He graduated from high school in 1934 and from John Tarleton College in Stephenville, Texas, on May 18, 1936. He was a distant cousin of fellow World War II veteran Aquilla J. Dyess.
Dyess underwent flight training at Kelly and Randolph Fields in San Antonio, Texas, and was commissioned second lieutenant in the United States Army Air Corps in 1937. Promoted to first lieutenant and command of the 21st Pursuit Squadron at Hamilton Field, San Francisco, Dyess led the squadron to Nichols Field, Manila, Philippines, in November 1941.
The 21st Pursuit Squadron was assigned to the 24th Pursuit Group which together with the 19th Bomb Group suffered heavy casualties during the opening of the war with Japan in 1941. Flying P-40 Warhawks against superior Japanese types, Dyess maintained his unit's morale in the face of staggering losses during the Battle of Bataan. When his squadron ran short of aircraft, Dyess transitioned to an infantry officer, serving in this capacity during the Battle of the Points.
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Wikipedia