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 Lieutenant Colonel William E. Dyess - Albany Cemetery - Albany, TX
N 32° 44.292 W 099° 17.356
14S E 472898 N 3622301
Lieutenant Colonel William E. Dyess was a bona fide hero of World War II who survived the Bataan Death March, only to be cut down later in an airplane crash. He is buried with his family in Albany Cemetery, Albany, TX.
Waymark Code: WM11HZW
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 10/29/2019
Views: 3
Colonel Dyess's final resting place is impressive, pretty much all done in marble, enclosed by curbing with two urns flanking a step with "Dyess" on it. White rocks cover the ground, and a footstone bears pilot's wings and:
Lieutenant Colonel
William Edwin Dyess
Aug. 9, 1916 Dec. 22, 1943
...while the main 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
Description:
Colonel Dyess didn't get to have a long life. That's not to say that what he did outside of his military career wasn't worthwhile, but his military service dominated most of his years on the planet. He was born to a high profile family in Albany, his father a prominent judge and his mother an outstanding public servant who lived to a hundred years. He played football and track and field in high school, and after he graduated in 1934, he attended John Tarleton Agricultural College (today's Tarleton State University) and graduated in 1936. By late 1937, he had received extensive flight training and had become a First Lieutenant. In November 1941, with tensions rising between the United States and Japan, Dyess led the 21st Pursuit Squadron to Nichols Field in the Philippines, and his military story begins. A 2004 Texas Historical Marker at his grave site provides some background:
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.
Date of birth: 08/09/1916
Date of death: 12/22/1943
Area of notoriety: Military
Marker Type: Monument
Setting: Outdoor
Visiting Hours/Restrictions: Daylight Hours
Fee required?: No
Web site: [Web Link]
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