William Dyess

William Edwin 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, Dyess 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 Dyess Air Force Base, assigned to Air Force Global Strike Command, located in Abilene Texas, is named in his honor.

Biography Born and raised in Albany, Texas, Dyess was the son of Judge Richard T. and Hallie Graham Dyess. He played football and ran track and field at Albany High School, and graduated in 1934. He attended John Tarleton Agricultural College in Stephenville, Texas, and graduated on May 18, 1936. He was a distant cousin of fellow World War II veteran Aquilla J. Dyess. 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. a close friend of General Douglas MacArthur, who would survive the war and would later serve as President of the United Nations General Assembly.

Dyess was captured by the Japanese on April 9, 1942, north of Mariveles, Bataan, and the next morning, he and the others who surrendered at Bataan began the infamous Bataan Death March. The group decided to split up, with seven joining organized guerrilla forces in northern Mindanao. Dyess and two others were evacuated by the U.S. Navy submarine Trout to Australia in July 1943.

Upon reaching the United States in August, he was thoroughly debriefed on his experiences as a POW by high-ranking military brass. He was ordered to recuperate, in September 1943, at the Ashford General Hospital in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. lost an engine caused by a fire on take-off from Grand Central Airport. Dyess had a chance to bail out of his troubled aircraft, but was flying over a heavily populated area and did not want to be responsible for any civilian casualties. He remained in his stricken P-38, attempting to land it in a vacant lot, and died when the aircraft crashed.

He is buried in Albany Cemetery in Albany, Texas.

Almost one month after his death, the Chicago Tribune finally received permission from government censorship offices to release the deceased aviator's story on January 28, 1944. The story ran in serial form for several weeks and was picked up by over 100 American newspapers. According to Leavelle, it was the biggest story of the war since Pearl Harbor. Published in book form in 1944, The Dyess Story (later retitled Bataan Death March) became a bestseller.

Among other commendations, Dyess received the Distinguished Flying Cross twice and Distinguished Service Cross also twice. In 1957, Abilene Army Airfield was renamed Dyess Air Force Base in his honor and in 2006, a replica of Dyess' beloved P-40 Warhawk, named "Kibosh", was installed at the front gate of the base in his memory. His personal papers are archived at Maxwell Air Force Base in Alabama and the special collections archive at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, Texas.

In 2024, Lt. Col Dyess was chosen as the exemplar for United States Air Force Academy Class of 2027.

Military decorations His awards and decorations include:

USAAF pilot badge Distinguished Service Crosswith bronze oak leaf cluster Silver Starwith bronze oak leaf clusterLegion of MeritDistinguished Flying Crosswith bronze oak leaf clusterSoldier's MedalBronze Star MedalPurple HeartPrisoner of War MedalAmerican Defense Service Medalwith bronze service starAmerican Campaign MedalAsiatic-Pacific Campaign Medalwith bronze campaign starWorld War II Victory MedalPhilippine Defense MedalTexas Legislative Medal of Honor

Army Presidential Unit Citation Philippine Republic Presidential Unit Citation

Distinguished Service Cross citation (1st Award)

Dyess., William E. Captain (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces 21st Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, Far East Air Force Date of Action: March 2, 1942

Citation:

The President of the United States of America is authorized by the Act of Congress of July 9, 1918, proudly presents the Distinguished Service Cross to Captain (Air Corps) William Edwin Dyess, United States Army Air Forces, for his extraordinary bravery during military operations against the enemy.

While serving as a pilot of a P-40 Fighter Aircraft with the 21st Pursuit Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, Far East Air Force, Captain Dyess took part in a bombing mission against Japanese ships at Subic Bay, Philippine Islands, on March 2, 1942.

On that day, Captain Dyess showed great courage and skill by attaching a 500-pound bomb to his aircraft using a temporary release system. Along with three other pilots, he attacked Japanese ships in Subic Bay by bombing and strafing enemy positions. Despite facing heavy enemy fire, he made three dangerous attack runs and successfully destroyed or damaged several small ships, warehouses, and supply areas.

Distinguished Service Cross citation (2nd Award)

Dyess., William E. Major (Air Corps), U.S. Army Air Forces Philippine Guerilla Forces Date of Action: April 4, 1943 – July 20, 1943

Citation:

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Act of Congress July 9, 1918, takes pleasure in presenting a Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster in lieu of a Second Award of the Distinguished Service Cross to Major (Air Corps) William Edwin Dyess, United States Army Air Forces, for extraordinary heroism in connection with military operations against an armed enemy while serving with Philippine Guerilla Forces during the period April 4, 1943, through July 20, 1943. Major Dyess was one of ten men including two Naval Officers, three Air Corps Officers, and two Marine Corps Officers who escaped after nearly a year in captivity after the fall of Bataan and Corregidor. The ten men evaded their captors for days until connecting with Filipino Guerillas under Wendell Fertig. The officers remained with the guerillas for weeks, obtaining vital information which they carried with them when they were subsequently evacuated by American submarines. Their escape was the only mass escape from a Japanese prison camp during the war. The personal courage and zealous devotion to duty displayed by Major Dyess during this period have upheld the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, the Prisoner of War, and the United States Army Air Forces.