The "Phillipine" Islands - Lt. Colonel William E. Dyess - Albany Cemetery - Albany, TX
N 32° 44.292 W 099° 17.356
14S E 472898 N 3622301
Practically all of us make a mistake when spelling "Philippines", and the sculptor got it wrong twice on the monument marking the final resting place of World War II hero, Lt. Colonel William E. Dyess.
Waymark Code: WM11HZR
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/29/2019
Views: 7
A 2004 Texas Historical Marker in front of his gravesite in Albany Cemetery provides an overview of this remarkable man:
A graduate of Albany High School, William Edwin Dyess was an aviation and infantry commander in the Philippines during World War II. Captured at the fall of Bataan in 1942, he survived the Death March and escaped his captors a year later. Back in the U.S., his published accounts of enemy actions toward prisoners of war greatly aided the war effort and influenced world opinion. In November 1943, he made an appearance at the Albany football field on his way to California, where he died in a plane crash just weeks later. Dyess Air Force Base in Abilene is named for the much-decorated war hero.
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The monument has a tall centerpiece with two wings that actually have pilot wings atop them. Text across both wings provides some details:
Lt. Col. Dyess was on duty Dec. 7, 1941 in the Philippine Islands as squadron commander of the 21st Pursuit Squadron, which later received Presidential Citation with two Oak Leaf Clusters. He distinguished himself by destroying 40,000 tons of shipping in Subic Bay. He converted remnants of Air Corps personnel into ground infantry and led them in victorious Battle of Agoloma Bay, destroying six hundred Japanese. He refused to leave his men at the fall of Bataan.
After being held prisoner by the Japanese for 361 days he escaped and fought with guerrillas in the Philippine Islands, returning to the United States for active duty in August, 1943. Holder of Distinguished Service Cross, Oak Leaf Cluster; Legion of Merit in Degree of Officer and the Silver Star. Soldiers Medal awarded posthumously for sacrifice of life in airplane crash, Glendale, California, December 22, 1943.
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The centerpiece of the main monument stands about ten feet tall, and a photo medallion of Colonel Dyess is below his wings and his family name. The inscription reads:
Lieutenant Colonel
William Edwin
Dyess
Defender of Bataan
Graduated
John Tarleton College
May 18, 1936
Graduated
Advanced Flying School
Kelly Field
October 6, 1937
"I want you to know I love every one of you"
Last words spoken to Albany friends 11-5-43
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The error occurs on both wings, and it is very easy to make out the original, "Phillipine", and the correction was to squeeze in a "P" over the second "I" so as to turn the preceding "L" into an "I".