Colonel William H. Dyess

Colonel Dyess, a pre-law major and student body president in 1936, became the highest ranking officer in the ROTC Cadet Corps while at Tarleton. After Joining the military service, Dyess rose quickly through the ranks and was given command of a fighter squadron in the Philippines. His squadron was almost destroyed by a Japanese surprise attack in December, 1941 and after evacuating as many of his men as possible, Dyess stayed on to resist the enemy. When Bataan fell in April, 1942, Dyess and his men were forced to suffer the 85 miles and six days of torture of the infamous Bataan Death March. After almost a year of imprisonment, Dyess and ten others escaped and fought in the jungles with Filipino guerrillas until he was rescued by submarine and returned to the U.S. in 1944. Ironically, Dyess recovered from the atrocities of imprisonment by the Japanese and injuries and diseases suffered during guerilla warfare on Bataan, to die in a flight training accident in California. Dyess was highly decorated for his heroic actions during W.W.II and in 1956 Dyess Air Base in Abilene, Texas was named in his honor.