William Edwin Dyess (1916 - 1943)

Born 9 Aug 1916 in Albany, Shackelford, Texas, United States

Ancestors

Died 22 Dec 1943 at age 27 in Burbank, Los Angeles, California, United States

Problems/Questions Profile managers: Charlotte Shockey [send private message] and Carolyn Dyess Bales [send private message]

Biography

Ed Dyess is Notable.

This profile is part of the Dyess Name Study.

Lt. Colonel Ed Dyess served in the United States Army Air Corps in World War II
Service started: October, 1941
Unit(s): 21st Pursuit Squadron
Service ended: July 23, 1943

William was born on 9 Aug 1916 in Albany, Shackelford, Texas to the parents of Richard Thomas Dyess and Hallie A Graham.^{[1] [2]}

He graduated from Albany High School and then attended John Tarleton Agricultural College, graduating in 1935. He received pilot training in San Antonio, Texas and commissioned a Second Lieutenant. Assigned to Barksdale Field, Louisiana, he was promoted to First Lieutenant then to Commander of the 21st Pursuit Squadron at Hamilton Field, California. He was later assigned to Nichols Field, Manila, Philippines in October 1941.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, he was made Commander of all flying squadrons on Bataan. On April 9 1942, the American Forces surrendered to the Japanese and Dyess became a prisoner of war. He survived the Bataan Death March and was imprisoned at camps O'Donnell then Cabanatuan and finally at Davao Penal Colony. After escaping Davao on April 4, 1943, he and several other prisoners contacted Filipino guerillas and were led to the submarine Trout and on to freedom on July 23, 1943.

He was evacuated to Australia and on to the United States where he was debriefed by the War Department on Japanese warfare and confirmed the enemy's brutality toward P.O.Ws.

He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel on December 22, 1943 and was killed later the same day in Burbank, California while attempting an emergency landing.

He received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Legion of Merit, and the Silver Star. He was posthumously nominated for the Medal of Honor and was awarded the Soldier's Medal.

He was in the United States Army Air Corps from 1937 to 1943.^{[3] [4]}

Ed was captured on 9 Apr 1942 by the Japanese as a Prisoner of War in the Philippines during World War II because he did not want to leave those who could not escape behind. He and many others survived the infamous Bataan Death March. After he and several others escaped from their recent POW camp on 4 Apr 1943.

While recovering he worked with Charles Leavelle, a Chicago Tribune writer, to re account his and fellow POWs experiences while in Japanese captivity. One month after his death, the U.S. Government released it to the Tribune to publish.

The Abilene Army Airfield was renamed Dyess Air Force Base in his honor in 1957.

He passed away on 22 Dec 1943 in Burbank, Los Angeles, California during a training accident. Ed was flying his aircraft when there was a fire on take-off. Instead of abandoning his aircraft over a highly populated area he remained and passed away while guiding it to a vacant lot.^[5]

On 1944 his story was published as a book called "The Dyess Story" which was later re-titled "Bataan Death March."

Awards

Ed's military awards and decorations are:

• USAAF Pilot Badge
• Distinguished Service Cross with oak leaf cluster
• Silver Star with one oak leaf cluster
• Legion of Merit
• Distinguished Flying Cross with one oak leaf cluster
• Soldier's Medal
• Bronze Star Medal
• Purple Heart
• Prisoner of War Medal
• American Defense Service Medal with one campaign star
• American Campaign Medal
• Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with one campaign star
• World War II Victory Medal
• Philippine Defense Medal
• Texas Legislative Medal of Honor (posthumous)
• Army Presidential Unit Citation
• Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation (Army Version)

"At the ceremony, Abbott also awarded the Texas Legislative Medal of Honor to Lt. Col. William “Ed” Dyess, a World War II veteran who died in 1943. Dyess’ sister accepted the award on his behalf.

Dyess, originally from Albany, was captured by Japanese forces in 1942 and held captive during the Bataan Death March. After the march, Dyess led the war’s only large-scale prison break in the Pacific Theater. He died in a training accident on American soil shortly after returning from the war.

“These two men lived decades apart, but they shared the common bond of uncommon valor,” Abbott said."^[6]

Sources

1. ↑ Ancestry.com, Texas, Birth Certificates, 1903-1932 (Ancestry.com Operations Inc), William Edwin Dyess; Reg No. 1270.
2. ↑ Ancestry.com, Texas Birth Index, 1903 - 1997 (Ancestry.com Operations Inc), William Edwin Dyess; Certificate 3392; Roll #1916_0003.
3. ↑ U.S., Select Military Registers, 1862-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors. Original data: United States Military Registers, 1902–1985. Salem, Oregon: Oregon State Library., William E Dyess; Military Date: 7 Oct 1940.
4. ↑ U.S., Select Military Registers, 1862-1985 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. This collection was indexed by Ancestry World Archives Project contributors. Original data: United States Military Registers, 1902–1985. Salem, Oregon: Oregon State Library., William E Dyess; Military Date: 15 Aug 1942.
5. ↑ Ancestry.com, California, Death Index, 1940-1997 (Ancestry.com Operations Inc), William E Dyess.
6. ↑ Rudner, Jordan. "Abbott gives posthumous medals to sniper Kyle, WWII hero Dyess." Star-Telegram. 26 August 2015. Online archives]. www.star-telegram.com : 2017.

• Wikipedia:William_E._Dyess
• 1920 United States Federal Census (Name: Name: Ancestry.com Operations Inc; Location: Provo, UT, USA; Date: 2010;;), Year: 1920; Census Place: Albany, Shackelford, Texas; Roll: T625_1846; Page: 11A; Enumeration District: 235.
• Year: 1930; Census Place: Albany, Shackelford, Texas; Roll: 2389; Page: 20B; Enumeration District: 0001; Image: 490.0; FHL microfilm: 2342123.
• Find A Grave, database and images (https://www.findagrave.com: accessed 26 January 2018), memorial page for LTC William Edwin Dyess (9 Aug 1916–22 Dec 1943), Find A Grave: Memorial #15355077, citing Albany Cemetery, Albany, Shackelford County, Texas, USA ; Maintained by Lionel Alva, Jr. (contributor 46609834) .