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Facts and Events
| Name[1] |
Lt. Col. Dean E. Hess |
| Gender |
Male |
| Birth[1][5][12] |
6 Dec 1917 |
Marietta, Washington, Ohio, United States |
| Marriage |
|
to Mary C. Lorentz |
| Education[5] |
1941 |
Marietta, Washington, Ohio, United StatesMarietta College |
| Occupation[1][4] |
1941 |
Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United StatesDisciples of Christ minister |
| Military[1][5][11] |
From 24 Dec 1941 to 1969 |
United States Air Force, World War II, Korean War, and longer |
| Military[5] |
1948 |
Japan |
| Occupation[1][2][4] |
20 Dec 1950 |
KoreaHess helped build an orphanage in South Korea and saved hundreds of war orphaned Korean children from death. Hess was the man behind "Operation Kiddy Car," an airlift that evacuated more than 1,050 orphans from Seoul, Korea, in 1950. |
| Education[7] |
|
Athens, Athens, Ohio, United StatesOhio University |
| Education[7] |
|
Columbus, Franklin, Ohio, United StatesOhio State University |
| Occupation[1] |
|
Air Force fighter pilot |
| Occupation[1] |
|
flight instructor |
| Occupation[7] |
|
teacher, Bethel High School |
| Death[1] |
2 Mar 2015 |
Huber Heights, Montgomery, Ohio, United States |
| Burial[7] |
|
Tipp City, Miami, Ohio, United StatesForest Hills Memorial Gardens |
THESE PHOTOGRAPHS ARE ALL TAKEN FROM THE WEBSITE OF THE NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AND AS OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPHS ARE FREE OF COPYRIGHT. Higher resolution photographs are available on the museum website as well as a printable factsheet on Operation Kiddy Car.
Image Gallery
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 1.6 1.7 Dayton Daily News. (Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio, United States)
B1, 5 Mar 2015.
- ↑ Internet Movie Database: www.imdb.com.
Movie "Battle Hymn" (1957)staring Rock Hudson was based on his autobiography of the same name (1956).
- Http://www.daytonwalkoffame.citymax.com/hess.html.
Hess was a Dayton Walk of Fame inductee in 2005 as a military leader and humanitarian.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Dayton Daily News. (Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio, United States)
A9, 25 Jun 2000.
ti: AMERICAN AIRLIFT AN INSPIRATIONAL UPLIFT - Korean translates account of U.S. pilot
au: Archana Pyati
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia.
Dean E. Hess
Colonel Hess in Korea
Born December 6, 1917
Ohio
Died March 2, 2015 (aged 97)[1]
Huber Heights, Ohio
Allegiance United States of America
Service/branch United States Air Force
Years of service 1941–69
Rank Colonel
Battles/wars World War II
Korean War
Awards Silver Star, Order of the White Elephant, Legion of Merit, Air Medal
Dean E. Hess (December 6, 1917 – March 2, 2015)[2][3] was an American minister and United States Air Force colonel who was involved in the so-called "Kiddy Car Airlift," the documented rescue of 950 orphans and 80 orphanage staff from the path of the Chinese advance during the Korean War on December 20, 1950. He is the subject of autobiography Battle Hymn, published in 1956, which later served the basis for the 1957 film of the same name, where he was played by Rock Hudson.
1 Biography
1.1 Kiddy Car Airlift
1.2 Later life
2 Criticism
3 See also
4 Notes
5 References
§Biography[edit]
Hess attended Marietta College, Ohio, graduating in the class of 1941. Following this, he was ordained as a church minister in Cleveland, Ohio. Following the December 7, 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor, Hess enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces. He served as a combat pilot in France after the Normandy landings, and flew a total of 63 combat missions in P-47s.[4]
Despite returning to civilian life, Hess was recalled to active service in July 1948, and was stationed in Japan as part of the American occupation there. In June 1950, he was transferred to Korea at the outbreak of the Korean War as the commander of Bout One Project, the program under which a cadre of USAF instructor pilots trained South Korean pilots in flying the F-51D Mustang. Hess served in Korea until June the following year, at which time had flown 250 combat missions. Also during his tour, he became involved in charity organizations for orphaned children in the war zone, and his airfield was reportedly full of such children.[4]
§Kiddy Car Airlift
With the airfield over capacity, Hess sent the orphans to an orphanage in Seoul. When the North Korean forces began to capture the city, Hess reportedly organized 15 C-54 Skymaster aircraft to airlift the orphans to safety on Jeju Island. At the time of Hess' departure from Korea, a new orphanage on this island held over 1,000 Korean children.[4]
LTC Blaisdell and COL Hess visit orphans on Jejudo
The Seoul orphanage in 1961, built with royalties Dean Hess received from his book Battle Hymn and the film adaptation
§Later life
Hess published his autobiography in 1956 and used the royalties to fund a new orphanage in Seoul.[4] He retired from the Air Force in 1969. For his actions in Korea, he was awarded the Republic of Korea Honor, and the of Korean Order of Cultural Merit. He has received numerous other awards, including the Order of the White Elephant, a Presidential Citation,[5] the Legion of Merit, Silver Star, Air Medal with 19 Clusters, and the Ohio Governor's Award.[6] He was inducted into the Miami Valley Walk of Fame, and his actions are also the subject of an exhibit at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force[3] As of November, 2009, Hess still lived in Ohio.
§Criticism[edit]
In 2004 one critic, Dr. George F. Drake, took issue with Hess' portrayal of the Kiddy Car Airlift, claiming that Hess took more credit than deserved for the evacuation of the Korean orphans. Drake gave Air Force Chaplain LTC Russell L. Blaisdell and Staff Sergeant Merle Y. Strang the credit for arranging the transport for the evacuation, with Hess' role being reduced to providing accommodation on the island of Cheju itself. According to this criticism, Blaisdell was reportedly originally credited with the evacuation by the media until Battle Hymn was published. Drake terms Hess's claims as "fraudulent" but acknowledges that the proceeds from Battle Hymn and royalties from the movie were donated to charity to aid Korean orphans.[7]
Blaisdell, however, received later recognition in 2000 when he returned to Korea, where he was referred to as the "Schindler of Korea,"[8] credit which Hess appeared to have agreed with, having in that same year acknowledged Blaisdell's contribution.[9] Strang, however, received no recognition, and died in 1998.
IMDB Battle Hymn 1957 film
Obituary for Milton Bellovin, participant in the "Kiddy Car Airlift."
§Notes
"Dean E. Hess Obituary". Cox Media Group Ohio. Dayton Daily News. 04 March 2015. Retrieved 4 March 2015.
News: Walk of Fame Induction
"Fact Sheets: Col. Dean Hess", National Museum (US Air Force)
Note: The source does not state whether it was a US Citation or a Korean one
^ "Heß, D", Alumni (Marietta), 1999[dead link]
Hess: Fraudulent Hero, contribution to Korean War Children's Memorial. Retrieved 13 October 2012
Chaplain Blaisdell and the Kiddy Car Airlift, NAS
Korean War Children's Memorial, NAS
References
Kiddy Car Airlift, NAS
==============================
Russell L. Blaisdell
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Col Russell L. Blaisdell
Born September 4, 1910
Hayfield, Minnesota
Died May 1, 2007 (aged 96)
Place of burial South Nevada Veterans Memorial Cemetery
Allegiance United States
Service/branch United States Air Force
Years of service 1938–1964
Battles/wars World War II
Korean War
Relations Major General Franklin J. Blaisdell (son)
Russell L. Blaisdell (September 4, 1910 – May 1, 2007) was an American minister and United States Air Force Chaplain Colonel who organised the so-called "Kiddy Car Airlift," the rescue of 964 orphans and 80 orphanage staff from Seoul in the face of the Chinese advance during the Korean War on December 20, 1950.
Contents
1 Education
2 Personal life
3 USAF career
3.1 Operation Kiddy Car
3.2 Post Korean War
4 Later life
5 Awards and honors
6 See also
7 Notes
Education
He graduated from Hayfield High School, Hayfield, Minnesota in 1927 and received his BA from Macalester College in 1934 and his Master's of Divinity from McCormick Theological Seminary in 1937.
Personal life
USAF career
Blaisdell joined the United States Army Air Corps in July 1940 and was stationed at Fort Sheridan, Illinois until October 1940. He later served at Fort George Wright from 1940–42. He served as chaplain and base chaplain at Edmonton Alberta for units building the Alaska Highway from 1942–4 and from 1944–6 at Pacific Wing ATC, Hickam Field from where he visited USAAF units in the Pacific Theater of Operations. Following World War II, in 1946 he was stationed at Scott Air Force Base and then at HQ Eighth Air Force, Carswell Air Force Base until 1950. With the outbreak of the Korean War he was assigned to HQ Fifth Air Force, Korea from July 1950 to May 1951.[1]
Following the Inchon Landing and the recapture of Seoul in September 1950 then LTC Blaisdell and another chaplain, Colonel Wallace I. Wolverton began attending to war orphans in the Seoul area. Initially the orphans were placed in a Seoul orphanage, but as the number of orphans continued to increase, the two together with Blaisdell's chaplain's assistant Staff Sgt. Merle "Mike" Y. Strang and Korean social workers established the Orphans Processing Center, eventually providing food and shelter for over 1000 orphans. After COL Wolverton left South Korea, LTC Blaisdell continued to manage the Center.[2]
Operation Kiddy Car[edit]
In December 1950 as the Chinese People's Volunteer Army and North Korean forces threatened Seoul with their Second Phase Campaign UN forces, including the Fifth Air Force, began to evacuate the city and move further south. On 19 December LTC Blaisdell and SSGT Strang drove the orphans to Inchon Harbor, for evacuation by Navy LST to Jeju Island but the ships failed to arrive. Blaisdell then approached COL T.C. Rogers, the 5th Air Force Director of Operations who arranged for transport aircraft to evacuate the orphans from Kimpo Air Base the following morning. LTC Blaisdell then commandeered a company of Marine Corps trucks to transport the children and their Korean caregivers to Kimpo. Despite arriving at Kimpo more than 2 hours late, the orphans were evacuated to safety on Jeju Island aboard 16 C-54 Skymaster aircraft. An orphanage was established on Jeju and run by Whang On-soon until the end of the Korean War when it was relocated back to Seoul.[2][3]
The events surrounding the airlift became widely known outside Korea only when Dean Hess published his autobiography Battle Hymn in 1956, which later served as the basis for the 1957 film of the same name, where Hess was played by Rock Hudson. SSGT Mike Strang later wrote and asked Blaisdell's advice on whether he should "blow the whistle" on Hess' limited role in the evacuation; Blaisdell responded "The goal of our efforts, in regard to the orphans ... was the saving of lives, which would otherwise have been lost. That was accomplished. In a sense, Mike, well-doing has its own reward, which is not measured in dollars, prestige, or goodwill..."[4] In 2004 Dr. George F. Drake, took issue with Dean Hess' portrayal of the Kiddy Car Airlift, claiming that Hess took more credit than deserved for the evacuation of the Korean orphans. Drake gave Blaisdell and SSGT Strang the credit for the evacuation, with Hess' role being reduced to providing accommodation on Jeju itself. According to this criticism, Blaisdell was reportedly originally credited with the evacuation by the media until Battle Hymn was published. Drake terms Hess's claims as "fraudulent" but acknowledges that the proceeds from Battle Hymn and royalties from the movie were donated to aid Korean orphans.[5]
New arrivals at the 5th Air Force’s Seoul processing center for orphans, before the evacuation to Jeju Island. Chaplain COL Wallace Wolverton is at left and Chaplain LTC Russell Blaisdell is at right
LTC Blaisdell and SSGT Mike Strang
A Korean toddler climbs the boarding ramp onto a C-54 at Kimpo
Orphans being loaded onto a C-54
Orphans receive candy from Flight Nurse Capt. Mary Spivak
LTC Blaisdell and COL Hess visit orphans on Jeju
Post Korean War[edit]
Following the Korean War LTC Blaisdell served as chaplain at: HQ Japan Air Self Defence Force, Nagoya, Japan from 1951–3; HQ Flying Training Wing, Waco, Texas from 1953–7 where he was promoted to Colonel and Seventeenth Air Force, Wheelus Air Base, Libya from 1957-60. He then served as Command Chaplain at Tactical Air Command, Langley Air Force Base from 1960-2 and HQ, Military Airlift Command, Scott Air Force Base from 1962–4.[1]
Colonel Blaisdell retired from the USAF on 30 June 1964.
Later life[edit]
He served as representative of the New York State Department of Social Services from 1966 to 1977. He retired to Fayetteville, New York, wintering in Las Vegas, Nevada where he died on May 1, 2007. He is buried at the Veterans Cemetery, Boulder City, Nevada.
Awards and honors[edit]
Blaisdell returned to South Korea in 2001, where he was greeted by Rhee Hee-hoh, the First Lady of South Korea, awarded an honorary Doctorate of Social Welfare by Kyung Hee University and referred to in the Korean media as the "Schindler" of Korea. He was also reunited with Whang On-soon, then aged 102, whose family continues to operate the Seoul Orphanage.[6]
SSGT Mike Strang died in 1998 without ever receiving any official recognition for his role in saving the orphans, but he was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star in 2003.
b Military Chaplains Association. Turner Publishing Company. 1996. p. 48. ISBN 9781563112317.
Air Force Chaplain credited with saving children honored at Gwangju". Stars and Stripes. 3 May 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
"Operation Kiddy Car". National Museum of the U.S. Air Force. 16 June 2010. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
"Compassionate Heroes". Space Observer, Peterson Air Force Base. 11 December 2008. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
Hess: Fraudulent Hero". Retrieved 31 August 2014.
^ "War hero: Retired Air Force chaplain fought for Korean orphans". Las Vegas Sun. 9 February 2001. Retrieved 31 August 2014.
- National Museum of the United States Air Force.
http://www.nationalmuseum.af.mil/factsheets/factsheet.asp?id=16856
OPERATION KIDDY CAR
The poverty and hardship of war orphaned many helpless Korean children, and Fifth Air Force Airmen in Seoul decided to unofficially feed and shelter them. Command Chaplain Lt. Col. Russell L. Blaisdell, Lt. Col. Dean Hess and others organized relief for the children. Blaisdell saved many orphans from near certain death by collecting them from the streets with the help of Staff Sgt. Merle "Mike" Strang and Korean social workers. Blaisdell worked to find shelter and medical care for children, while he and Hess arranged invaluable food, money and clothing contributions. When communist forces pushed UN troops south and threatened to take Seoul in the winter of 1950, the Korean population -- especially the orphans -- faced a dire crisis. Blaisdell tried several avenues to save nearly 1,000 children by ground and sea convoy, but little help was available.
Blaisdell and Hess devised a plan to transport the children to Cheju-do, an island off the southern coast of Korea, where Hess's men were to be stationed. This plan became known as OPERATION KIDDY CAR. As communist forces approached, Blaisdell's dogged persistence paid off: 5th Air Force Chief of Operations Col. T.C. Rogers found 16 C-54 transports to evacuate the orphans. Commandeering several trucks at the port of Inchon, Blaisdell orchestrated orphans' and rescue workers' movement to nearby Kimpo airfield and the waiting aircraft.
The transports flew the children to Cheju-do, where Hess made arrangements to receive them. With contributions from U.S. troops and many others, an orphanage established there by Hess was able to accept even more children.
In 1957 Hess published the Kiddy Car story in his book Battle Hymn, later made into a motion picture. Royalties from the book and movie went to build a new orphanage near Seoul. In 2001 Blaisdell returned to Korea to visit those he helped to save and has been honored along with Hess as a great friend of the South Korean people. Blaisdell, Strang, Hess and many other Airmen who selflessly aided helpless orphans amid the terrible destruction of the Korean War exemplified the continuing humanitarian spirit of the U.S. Air Force.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 Dayton Daily News. (Dayton, Montgomery, Ohio, United States).
Dean E. HESS
Obituary | Condolences
Dean E. HESS Obituary
News Death Notice
HESS, Dean E. Age 97, of Huber Heights, passed away Monday, March 2, 2015 at his residence. Dean was a retired Colonel from the U.S. Air Force, a teacher at Bethel High School, Pastor in the Disciples of Christ Church, Veteran of the Army Air Corp, flying over 60 missions in World War II. He was born in Marietta, OH and graduated from Marietta College, received his Masters from Ohio University and was working on his PhD from The Ohio State University when he was called back to active duty for the Korean War. The Air Force assigned Dean to begin training Korean pilots to fly combat. In addition to training pilots, he flew 250 combat missions and rescued over 1,000 orphans. His activities were documented in his autobiography "Battle Hymn", which was the basis for a motion picture of the same name. He gave all proceeds from the book and the movie to establish the Orphans Home of Korea. In 2005, Dean was enshrined on the Walk of Fame in the Wright-Dunbar historical district. He was preceded in death by his wife, Mary C., parents, Lemuel and Florence; brothers, George and Thomas; and sister, Ethel Guilotta. Dean is survived by his daughter, Marilyn Hess of Greenville; sons and daughters-in-law, Lawrence & Susan Hess of Huber Heights, Edward Alan & Barbara Hess of Xenia, Ronald & Patricia Hess of Miamisburg; grandchildren, Robert, Jason, Laura, Jenny, Peter, Casey and Bradley; 10 great-grandchildren; other relatives and friends. Funeral service is at 11:00 a.m., Saturday, March 7, 2015 at the Marker & Heller Funeral Home, Huber Heights Chapel, 5844 Old Troy Pike, the Reverend C. Larry Stiles officiating. Interment is at Forest Hills Memorial Gardens. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 5-8 p.m., Friday March 6. If desired, memorial contributions may be made to The Hospice of Dayton or the Air Force Museum Foundation.
Published in Dayton Daily News on Mar. 5, 2015
- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/dayton/obituary.aspx?n=Dean-E-HESS&pid=174317517#sthash.KNQZ2QjN.dpuf
- United States. 1940 U.S. Census Population Schedule. (National Archives Microfilm Publication T627).
Name: Dean E Hess
Age: 22
Estimated Birth Year: abt 1918
Gender: Male
Race: White
Birthplace: Ohio
Marital Status: Single
Relation to Head of House: Son
Home in 1940: Marietta, Washington, Ohio
Map of Home in 1940: View Map
Street: Fourth Street
House Number: 912
Inferred Residence in 1935: Marietta, Washington, Ohio
Residence in 1935: Same House
Sheet Number: 14A
Attended School or College: Yes
Highest Grade Completed: College, 2nd year
Weeks Worked in 1939: 0
Income: 0
Neighbors: View others on page
Household Members:
Name Age
Lemuel A Hess 49
Florence C Hess 48
Dean E Hess 22
Ethel L Hess 19
- Marietta College Hall of Honor.
- .
The Salem News
Location: Salem, Ohio
Issue Date: Saturday, February 9, 1957
Page 12
- ↑ United States. National Archives and Records Administration (ARC # 1263923). World War II Army Enlistment Records, 1938-1946. (2002).
Name: Dean E Hess
Birth Year: 1917
Race: White, citizen (White)
Nativity State or Country: Ohio
State of Residence: Ohio
County or City: Washington
Enlistment Date: 24 Dec 1941
Enlistment State: Ohio
Enlistment City: Cleveland
Branch: Air Corps
Branch Code: Air Corps
Grade: Aviation Cadet
Grade Code: Aviation Cadet
Term of Enlistment: Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Component: Army of the United States - includes the following: Voluntary enlistments effective December 8, 1941 and thereafter; One year enlistments of National Guardsman whose State enlistment expires while in the Federal Service; Officers appointed in the Army of
Source: Civil Life
Education: 4 years of college
Civil Occupation: Clergymen
Marital Status: Single, without dependents
Height: 68
Weight: 129
- ↑ Ohio, United States. Ohio, Birth Index, 1908-1998. (Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012).
Name: Dean E Hess
Birth Date: 6 Dec 1917
State File Number: 1917122535
Additional Information: Lemmel
- Find A Grave.
See find a grave for links to videos
*Historic newsreel of Hess and his wife visiting the orphanage in Korea
*By Faith I Fly", the Dean Hess story
*Rock Hudson, Battle Hymn
Family links:
Parents:
Lemuel Hess (1890 - 1971)
Florence C Miller Hess (1892 - 1986)
Spouse:
Mary C Hess (1918 - 1996)*
Siblings:
George William Hess (1913 - 2001)*
Dean E Hess (1917 - 2015)
Ethel Louise Hess Gulotta (1920 - 2013)*
*Calculated relationship
Burial:
Forest Hills Memorial Gardens
Tipp City
Miami County
Ohio, USA
Created by: Dave
Record added: Mar 04, 2015
Find A Grave Memorial# 143334971
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