Dean E. Hallmark
Encyclopedia
Dean Edward Hallmark was an avid athlete, adventure seeker and U.S. Army Air Forces pilot during World War II, most noted for having served alongside Jimmy Doolittle
in 1942 during the famous raid on Tokyo
in April of that year. He was executed by the Japanese Imperial Army
for alleged war crimes committed as part of that raid.
which is the county seat for Coke County. Although most genealogical sources indicate that Robert Lee was his place of birth, it is likely that Dean spent his early childhood in nearby Bronte
, which is where his father grew up and his grandparents are buried today.
Dean was a fifth generation American, his great-great-great grandfather, George, having come to the British colony of Virginia
from Cheshire
County in North West England
as a bonded servant around the year 1766. George, a veteran of the Virginia Militia
during the American Revolution
, migrated with his family in the post-war years from southwest Virginia through extreme eastern Tennessee
, where Dean’s great-great grandfather, Richard, George’s fifth of 10 children, was born in Knox County
sometime between 1785 and 1790. These early American Hallmarks finally settled in what became north Alabama
near present day Huntsville
. Richard fathered all 13 of his children before picking up and leaving Alabama for Texas sometime during the early to mid 1830s along with several of his brothers and their families. Dean was eventually born and raised in Texas as a result of this move by his great-great grandfather.
Little is know of Dean’s early childhood in Coke County. His parents had only married just years before his birth. Ollie had registered for the draft when America entered World War I
but was not called up. Dean’s younger sister, and only sibling, Mozelle Amanda, was born the day World War I ended – November 11, 1918. For whatever reason, Ollie and Raleigh did not participate in the 1920 U.S. Census so it isn’t known for sure whether Dean and his family were still residing in Coke County or had moved east of Dallas to Hunt County
in the city of Greenville
. What is known, however, by way of existing Greenville telephone directories, is that by 1930 Dean and his family were residing at 1230 King Street.
before transferring to Auburn University
(known then as Alabama Polytechnic Institute) in Alabama on a football scholarship where he majored in education. Dean was again a standout player on the 1935 “Baby Tigers” team, which amounted to the freshman team as freshman were not allowed to participate on the varsity squad at that time. Dean’s football coach was none other than Ralph “Shug” Jordan
, the man who later became Auburn’s most renowned coach and who later led the team to its first ever national championship in 1957
. It was during his time at Auburn that Dean would befriend a schoolmate by the name of Roland B. Scott, an aeronautical science major, who is believed to have sparked Dean’s pursuit of a career in aviation.
After one academic year at Auburn, Dean elected to quit college after the spring semester of 1936 and return to Texas. Why he elected to quit is not exactly known but family stories indicate that Ollie had become involved in a tragic farming accident in Greenville which resulted in the loss of one of his legs. As a result, and at about the time Dean returned to Texas, Dean’s parents and sister moved to 808 Wayne Avenue in Dallas, just east of downtown. While Ollie began to recover, Raleigh took a job as a seamstress and Mozelle took a modeling job with Nieman Marcus in downtown Dallas to help support the family. Dean, meanwhile, began pursuing his goal of becoming a pilot by taking flying lessons and eventually became a civilian pilot. Soon afterward, Dean put his new skill to work with Houston based Humble Oil and Refining Company
which sent him to Venezuela
for six months in 1939 flying petroleum workers in and out of hard to reach locales. He then returned to Texas in January 1940 via New York City
. It was because of his time spent in the jungles of South America
that Dean would later be awarded the nickname “Jungle Jim” by his fellow Doolittle Raiders.
for his flying abilities and, as a result, he enlisted as an aviation cadet in Houston, Texas on November 21, 1940. Taking primary and basic training through the Cal Aero Academy
at Ontario, California
from November 1940 to March 1941, Dean’s first experiences with military aircraft were with the Stearman PT-13B Kaydet followed by the Fairchild PT-19
. Dean then took advanced training at Stockton, California
, where he mastered flying complex aircraft as well as running into an old friend – fellow Auburn man Roland B. Scott, who was by this time an Army Air Corps officer and one of Dean’s flight instructors. Dean eventually graduated with the class of 41-E and earned his wings and officer commission on July 11, 1941. Immediately afterward, Dean reported for duty with the 95th Bomb Squadron
(Kickin' Ass), 17th Bombardment Group
(Medium) stationed at Pendleton Field
, Oregon. Dean and his fellow pilots of the 17th were some of the first pilots to fly the North American B-25B Mitchell medium bomber. Dean’s first military exercise was the 1941 South Carolina War Maneuvers with his squadron being stationed at Daniel Field in Augusta, Georgia
. After the maneuvers concluded, Dean and his squadron returned to Pendleton Field where, after the Pearl Harbor attack
, he flew anti-submarine patrols off the Pacific Coast of the United States.
, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Air Forces
by this time, had been tasked by General Henry “Hap” Arnold
with organizing America's first retaliatory strike against Japan
. Doolittle asked for volunteers from the 17th Bombardment Group, who had recently relocated to Columbia, South Carolina
, thus catapulting Dean towards a rendezvous with history. The selected all-volunteer crews moved to Eglin Field
, Florida, near present day Valparaiso
, where they trained on short field takeoffs in preparation for a carrier takeoff. Additionally, the crews practiced extremely low altitude flying, over water navigation and stripped their B-25s of all unnecessary equipment to save weight and make room for specially modified fuel bladders.
By the end of March 1942, Doolittle’s Raiders had completed their “crash course” training and flew first to Sacramento Air Depot at McClellan Field
, California to receive new propeller blades and rid their aircraft of additional components no longer needed. They then flew to Alameda Naval Air Station
in San Francisco where 16 B-25s were loaded aboard the , the Navy's newest aircraft carrier at that time. On April 2, 1942 the Hornet, under the command Captain Marc Mitscher
, set sail and passed underneath the Golden Gate Bridge for a point north of the Hawaiian Islands where it linked up with the , under the command of Admiral William “Bull” Halsey
, to form Task Force 16 and continued on to a planned launch point 450 miles from Japan. However, the task force was discovered by a Japanese picket boat 200 miles from the intended launch point on the morning of April 18. Not sure if the aircraft possessed adequate fuel to complete the mission, the raid was launched ahead of schedule as the safety of the Pacific Fleet’s carriers could not be jeopardized.
Dean was the command pilot of the sixth B-25 to launch from the deck of the Hornet, tail number 02298 and dubbed "The Green Hornet." At roughly 0840 hours on April 18, 1942, Dean’s B-25 was airborne and headed for Tokyo where his selected targets were industrial steel mills. No resistance was encountered; Staff Sergeant William Dieter, the Green Hornet’s bombardier, dropped his bombs, scored direct hits and Dean made his way to China
. As the Green Hornet approached the Chinese coast, she began to run on fumes. Dean gave his crew two options; bail out over the water or ditch in the ocean. Fearing they may drown in their parachutes, the crew elected to ditch and Dean set his bomber down into the water about three miles from shore. The impact of the ditching was severe and, as a result, the two enlisted crew members on board drown with the three officers surviving, albeit severely injured. Dean was violently launched through the plexiglas windshield as a result of the impact, the seat still strapped to his body. The three officers were able to swim to shore and, at daylight the next morning, slowly found one another and attempted to evade the local Japanese garrison with the help of friendly Chinese. The three were captured by Japanese forces approximately eight days later.
on phony charges of killing innocent civilians. They were all subjected to horrific torture and purposely starved and malnourished to the point that Dean contracted dysentery
which resulted in a massive loss of weight. All eight Raiders were initially sentenced to death but the Emperor Hirohito
personally commuted the sentences to life imprisonment for all but three: 1st Lt. Dean E. Hallmark, 1st Lt. William G. Farrow and Sgt. Harold A. Spatz, both of Crew 16. During the early evening of October 15, 1942, Hallmark, Farrow and Spatz were made to kneel, blindfolded, tied to crosses and executed by firing squad in Shanghai
's Public Cemetery No. 1. Their cremated remains were purposely mislabeled by the Japanese to cover up the execution but were fortunately located after the war by US officials. Dean's mother was presented with his Distinguished Flying Cross
at Love Field in Dallas, Texas on December 7, 1942, under the premise that her son was a POW and alive and well. Today, Dean’s final resting place is in Section 12, Site 158 of Arlington National Cemetery
where he was interred in January 1949 along with his co-pilot, 1st Lt. Robert J. Meder
, who died as a POW, and with 1st Lt. William Farrow.
Jimmy Doolittle
General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, USAF was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a brigadier general, major general and lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War...
in 1942 during the famous raid on Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in April of that year. He was executed by the Japanese Imperial Army
Imperial Japanese Army
-Foundation:During the Meiji Restoration, the military forces loyal to the Emperor were samurai drawn primarily from the loyalist feudal domains of Satsuma and Chōshū...
for alleged war crimes committed as part of that raid.
Early life
Dean was born to Ollie Dean and Raleigh Amanda (née Ake) Hallmark in the small town of Robert Lee, TexasRobert Lee, Texas
Robert Lee is a city in and the county seat of Coke County, Texas, United States. The founders named the city after Robert E. Lee, who is thought to have set up camp for a time near the current townsite on the Colorado River. Lee served in Texas from 1856 to 1861 as a lieutenant colonel in the U.S...
which is the county seat for Coke County. Although most genealogical sources indicate that Robert Lee was his place of birth, it is likely that Dean spent his early childhood in nearby Bronte
Bronte, Texas
Bronte is a town in Coke County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,076 at the 2000 census.Texas State Senator Grady Hazlewood, who served from the Amarillo-based District 31 from 1941-1971, was born in 1902 in Coke County near Bronte.-Geography:...
, which is where his father grew up and his grandparents are buried today.
Dean was a fifth generation American, his great-great-great grandfather, George, having come to the British colony of Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
from Cheshire
Cheshire
Cheshire is a ceremonial county in North West England. Cheshire's county town is the city of Chester, although its largest town is Warrington. Other major towns include Widnes, Congleton, Crewe, Ellesmere Port, Runcorn, Macclesfield, Winsford, Northwich, and Wilmslow...
County in North West England
North West England
North West England, informally known as The North West, is one of the nine official regions of England.North West England had a 2006 estimated population of 6,853,201 the third most populated region after London and the South East...
as a bonded servant around the year 1766. George, a veteran of the Virginia Militia
Virginia Militia
The Virginia militia is an armed force composed of all citizens of the Commonwealth of Virginia capable of bearing arms. The Virginia militia was established in 1607 as part of the British militia system. Militia service in Virginia was compulsory for all free males...
during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, migrated with his family in the post-war years from southwest Virginia through extreme eastern Tennessee
Tennessee
Tennessee is a U.S. state located in the Southeastern United States. It has a population of 6,346,105, making it the nation's 17th-largest state by population, and covers , making it the 36th-largest by total land area...
, where Dean’s great-great grandfather, Richard, George’s fifth of 10 children, was born in Knox County
Knox County, Tennessee
Knox County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. Its 2007 population was estimated at 423,874 by the United States Census Bureau. Its county seat is Knoxville, as it has been since the creation of the county. The county is at the geographical center of the Great Valley of East Tennessee...
sometime between 1785 and 1790. These early American Hallmarks finally settled in what became north Alabama
North Alabama
North Alabama is a region of the U.S. state of Alabama, generally considered to include 12 counties: Cherokee, Colbert, DeKalb, Franklin, Jackson, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall, Morgan, and Winston, with a combined population of 958,247, or 20.84% of the state's population as...
near present day Huntsville
Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city located primarily in Madison County in the central part of the far northern region of the U.S. state of Alabama. Huntsville is the county seat of Madison County. The city extends west into neighboring Limestone County. Huntsville's population was 180,105 as of the 2010 Census....
. Richard fathered all 13 of his children before picking up and leaving Alabama for Texas sometime during the early to mid 1830s along with several of his brothers and their families. Dean was eventually born and raised in Texas as a result of this move by his great-great grandfather.
Little is know of Dean’s early childhood in Coke County. His parents had only married just years before his birth. Ollie had registered for the draft when America entered World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
but was not called up. Dean’s younger sister, and only sibling, Mozelle Amanda, was born the day World War I ended – November 11, 1918. For whatever reason, Ollie and Raleigh did not participate in the 1920 U.S. Census so it isn’t known for sure whether Dean and his family were still residing in Coke County or had moved east of Dallas to Hunt County
Hunt County, Texas
As of the census of 2000, there were 76,596 people, 28,742 households, and 20,521 families residing in the county. The population density was 91 people per square mile . There were 32,490 housing units at an average density of 39 per square mile...
in the city of Greenville
Greenville, Texas
Greenville is the county seat, and the largest city, of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557....
. What is known, however, by way of existing Greenville telephone directories, is that by 1930 Dean and his family were residing at 1230 King Street.
Adolescent & College Years
During this time, Dean was a standout tackle on the Greenville High School football team, helping lead the school to their first ever appearance in the Texas state playoffs in 1931. After graduating high school in 1932, Dean played football at Paris (TX) Junior CollegeParis Junior College
Paris Junior College, or PJC, was founded in 1924 as a campus of Paris Independent School District in the U.S. state of Texas and currently counts three campuses: Paris, Greenville, and Sulphur Springs with a total enrollment of 4,000 students...
before transferring to Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
(known then as Alabama Polytechnic Institute) in Alabama on a football scholarship where he majored in education. Dean was again a standout player on the 1935 “Baby Tigers” team, which amounted to the freshman team as freshman were not allowed to participate on the varsity squad at that time. Dean’s football coach was none other than Ralph “Shug” Jordan
Ralph Jordan
James Ralph "Shug" Jordan was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach of football and basketball. He served as the head football coach at Auburn from 1951 to 1975, where he compiled a record of 176–83–6. He is the winningest coach in Auburn Tigers football...
, the man who later became Auburn’s most renowned coach and who later led the team to its first ever national championship in 1957
1957 Auburn Tigers football team
The 1957 Auburn Tigers football team represented Auburn University in the 1957 college football season. Coached by Ralph "Shug" Jordan, Auburn went 10–0 and was awarded national title AP Poll, even though they were on probation and did not participate in a bowl game. Ohio State was named the...
. It was during his time at Auburn that Dean would befriend a schoolmate by the name of Roland B. Scott, an aeronautical science major, who is believed to have sparked Dean’s pursuit of a career in aviation.
After one academic year at Auburn, Dean elected to quit college after the spring semester of 1936 and return to Texas. Why he elected to quit is not exactly known but family stories indicate that Ollie had become involved in a tragic farming accident in Greenville which resulted in the loss of one of his legs. As a result, and at about the time Dean returned to Texas, Dean’s parents and sister moved to 808 Wayne Avenue in Dallas, just east of downtown. While Ollie began to recover, Raleigh took a job as a seamstress and Mozelle took a modeling job with Nieman Marcus in downtown Dallas to help support the family. Dean, meanwhile, began pursuing his goal of becoming a pilot by taking flying lessons and eventually became a civilian pilot. Soon afterward, Dean put his new skill to work with Houston based Humble Oil and Refining Company
Humble Oil
Humble Oil and Refining Co. was founded in 1911. The company would later consolidate with Standard Oil of New Jersey to become Exxon.-Early history:...
which sent him to Venezuela
Venezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
for six months in 1939 flying petroleum workers in and out of hard to reach locales. He then returned to Texas in January 1940 via New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. It was because of his time spent in the jungles of South America
South America
South America is a continent situated in the Western Hemisphere, mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a relatively small portion in the Northern Hemisphere. The continent is also considered a subcontinent of the Americas. It is bordered on the west by the Pacific Ocean and on the north and east...
that Dean would later be awarded the nickname “Jungle Jim” by his fellow Doolittle Raiders.
Army Enlistment & Early Military Experiences
In late 1940, Dean was recruited by the Army Air CorpsUnited States Army Air Corps
The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...
for his flying abilities and, as a result, he enlisted as an aviation cadet in Houston, Texas on November 21, 1940. Taking primary and basic training through the Cal Aero Academy
Chino Airport
Chino Airport is a county-owned public-use airport located about three miles southeast of Chino, a town in San Bernardino County, California...
at Ontario, California
Ontario, California
Ontario is a city located in San Bernardino County, California, United States, 35 miles east of downtown Los Angeles. Located in the western part of the Inland Empire region, it lies just east of the Los Angeles county line and is part of the Greater Los Angeles Area...
from November 1940 to March 1941, Dean’s first experiences with military aircraft were with the Stearman PT-13B Kaydet followed by the Fairchild PT-19
Fairchild PT-19
|-See also:-Bibliography:* Mondey, David. American Aircraft of World War II . London: Bounty Books, 2006. ISBN 978-0-7537-1461-4....
. Dean then took advanced training at Stockton, California
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
, where he mastered flying complex aircraft as well as running into an old friend – fellow Auburn man Roland B. Scott, who was by this time an Army Air Corps officer and one of Dean’s flight instructors. Dean eventually graduated with the class of 41-E and earned his wings and officer commission on July 11, 1941. Immediately afterward, Dean reported for duty with the 95th Bomb Squadron
95th Reconnaissance Squadron
The 95th Reconnaissance Squadron is a United States Air Force reconnaissance unit based at Offutt Air Force Base, near Omaha, Nebraska...
(Kickin' Ass), 17th Bombardment Group
17th Training Group
The 17th Training Group is a component organization of the 17th Training Wing assigned to the United States Air Force Air Education and Training Command. The group is stationed at Goodfellow Air Force Base, Texas....
(Medium) stationed at Pendleton Field
Eastern Oregon Regional Airport
Eastern Oregon Regional Airport , also known as Eastern Oregon Regional Airport at Pendleton, is a public airport located three miles northwest of the central business district of Pendleton, a city in Umatilla County, Oregon, USA. The airport covers and has three runways. It is used primarily...
, Oregon. Dean and his fellow pilots of the 17th were some of the first pilots to fly the North American B-25B Mitchell medium bomber. Dean’s first military exercise was the 1941 South Carolina War Maneuvers with his squadron being stationed at Daniel Field in Augusta, Georgia
Augusta, Georgia
Augusta is a consolidated city in the U.S. state of Georgia, located along the Savannah River. As of the 2010 census, the Augusta–Richmond County population was 195,844 not counting the unconsolidated cities of Hephzibah and Blythe.Augusta is the principal city of the Augusta-Richmond County...
. After the maneuvers concluded, Dean and his squadron returned to Pendleton Field where, after the Pearl Harbor attack
Attack on Pearl Harbor
The attack on Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike conducted by the Imperial Japanese Navy against the United States naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, on the morning of December 7, 1941...
, he flew anti-submarine patrols off the Pacific Coast of the United States.
The Doolittle Tokyo Raid
In early 1942, world renowned aviator Jimmy DoolittleJimmy Doolittle
General James Harold "Jimmy" Doolittle, USAF was an American aviation pioneer. Doolittle served as a brigadier general, major general and lieutenant general in the United States Army Air Forces during the Second World War...
, a lieutenant colonel in the Army Air Forces
United States Army Air Forces
The United States Army Air Forces was the military aviation arm of the United States of America during and immediately after World War II, and the direct predecessor of the United States Air Force....
by this time, had been tasked by General Henry “Hap” Arnold
Henry H. Arnold
Henry Harley "Hap" Arnold was an American general officer holding the grades of General of the Army and later General of the Air Force. Arnold was an aviation pioneer, Chief of the Air Corps , Commanding General of the U.S...
with organizing America's first retaliatory strike against Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. Doolittle asked for volunteers from the 17th Bombardment Group, who had recently relocated to Columbia, South Carolina
Columbia Metropolitan Airport
Columbia Metropolitan Airport is the main airport for Columbia, South Carolina. The airport lies five miles southwest of Columbia's central business district, in Lexington County.-Airlines and destinations:...
, thus catapulting Dean towards a rendezvous with history. The selected all-volunteer crews moved to Eglin Field
Eglin Air Force Base
Eglin Air Force Base is a United States Air Force base located approximately 3 miles southwest of Valparaiso, Florida in Okaloosa County....
, Florida, near present day Valparaiso
Valparaiso, Florida
Valparaiso is a city in Okaloosa County, Florida, in the United States, and it is named after the Chilean city of Valparaiso. As of the 2000 census, the city population was 6,408. According to the U.S. Census Bureau's 2004 estimates, the city had a population of 6,336...
, where they trained on short field takeoffs in preparation for a carrier takeoff. Additionally, the crews practiced extremely low altitude flying, over water navigation and stripped their B-25s of all unnecessary equipment to save weight and make room for specially modified fuel bladders.
By the end of March 1942, Doolittle’s Raiders had completed their “crash course” training and flew first to Sacramento Air Depot at McClellan Field
McClellan Air Force Base
McClellan Air Force Base is a former United States Air Force base located in the North Highlands area of Sacramento County, northeast of Sacramento, California...
, California to receive new propeller blades and rid their aircraft of additional components no longer needed. They then flew to Alameda Naval Air Station
Naval Air Station Alameda
Naval Air Station Alameda was a United States Navy Naval Air Station in Alameda, California, on San Francisco Bay.NAS Alameda had two runways: 07-25 and 13-31...
in San Francisco where 16 B-25s were loaded aboard the , the Navy's newest aircraft carrier at that time. On April 2, 1942 the Hornet, under the command Captain Marc Mitscher
Marc Mitscher
Admiral Marc Andrew "Pete" Mitscher was an admiral in the United States Navy who served as commander of the Fast Carrier Task Force in the Pacific in the latter half of World War II.-Early life and career:...
, set sail and passed underneath the Golden Gate Bridge for a point north of the Hawaiian Islands where it linked up with the , under the command of Admiral William “Bull” Halsey
William Halsey, Jr.
Fleet Admiral William Frederick Halsey, Jr., United States Navy, , was a U.S. Naval officer. He commanded the South Pacific Area during the early stages of the Pacific War against Japan...
, to form Task Force 16 and continued on to a planned launch point 450 miles from Japan. However, the task force was discovered by a Japanese picket boat 200 miles from the intended launch point on the morning of April 18. Not sure if the aircraft possessed adequate fuel to complete the mission, the raid was launched ahead of schedule as the safety of the Pacific Fleet’s carriers could not be jeopardized.
Dean was the command pilot of the sixth B-25 to launch from the deck of the Hornet, tail number 02298 and dubbed "The Green Hornet." At roughly 0840 hours on April 18, 1942, Dean’s B-25 was airborne and headed for Tokyo where his selected targets were industrial steel mills. No resistance was encountered; Staff Sergeant William Dieter, the Green Hornet’s bombardier, dropped his bombs, scored direct hits and Dean made his way to China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
. As the Green Hornet approached the Chinese coast, she began to run on fumes. Dean gave his crew two options; bail out over the water or ditch in the ocean. Fearing they may drown in their parachutes, the crew elected to ditch and Dean set his bomber down into the water about three miles from shore. The impact of the ditching was severe and, as a result, the two enlisted crew members on board drown with the three officers surviving, albeit severely injured. Dean was violently launched through the plexiglas windshield as a result of the impact, the seat still strapped to his body. The three officers were able to swim to shore and, at daylight the next morning, slowly found one another and attempted to evade the local Japanese garrison with the help of friendly Chinese. The three were captured by Japanese forces approximately eight days later.
Aftermath
Along with the five captured Raiders from “Bat Out of Hell,” the sixteenth B-25 to launch, the eight were tried by the Japanese in a kangaroo courtKangaroo court
A kangaroo court is "a mock court in which the principles of law and justice are disregarded or perverted".The outcome of a trial by kangaroo court is essentially determined in advance, usually for the purpose of ensuring conviction, either by going through the motions of manipulated procedure or...
on phony charges of killing innocent civilians. They were all subjected to horrific torture and purposely starved and malnourished to the point that Dean contracted dysentery
Dysentery
Dysentery is an inflammatory disorder of the intestine, especially of the colon, that results in severe diarrhea containing mucus and/or blood in the faeces with fever and abdominal pain. If left untreated, dysentery can be fatal.There are differences between dysentery and normal bloody diarrhoea...
which resulted in a massive loss of weight. All eight Raiders were initially sentenced to death but the Emperor Hirohito
Hirohito
, posthumously in Japan officially called Emperor Shōwa or , was the 124th Emperor of Japan according to the traditional order, reigning from December 25, 1926, until his death in 1989. Although better known outside of Japan by his personal name Hirohito, in Japan he is now referred to...
personally commuted the sentences to life imprisonment for all but three: 1st Lt. Dean E. Hallmark, 1st Lt. William G. Farrow and Sgt. Harold A. Spatz, both of Crew 16. During the early evening of October 15, 1942, Hallmark, Farrow and Spatz were made to kneel, blindfolded, tied to crosses and executed by firing squad in Shanghai
Shanghai
Shanghai is the largest city by population in China and the largest city proper in the world. It is one of the four province-level municipalities in the People's Republic of China, with a total population of over 23 million as of 2010...
's Public Cemetery No. 1. Their cremated remains were purposely mislabeled by the Japanese to cover up the execution but were fortunately located after the war by US officials. Dean's mother was presented with his Distinguished Flying Cross
Distinguished Flying Cross (United States)
The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The...
at Love Field in Dallas, Texas on December 7, 1942, under the premise that her son was a POW and alive and well. Today, Dean’s final resting place is in Section 12, Site 158 of Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington County, Virginia, is a military cemetery in the United States of America, established during the American Civil War on the grounds of Arlington House, formerly the estate of the family of Confederate general Robert E. Lee's wife Mary Anna Lee, a great...
where he was interred in January 1949 along with his co-pilot, 1st Lt. Robert J. Meder
Robert J. Meder
Robert John Meder was a member of the "Doolittle Raiders," which were the first American forces to attack the Islands of Japan in World War II....
, who died as a POW, and with 1st Lt. William Farrow.
In Memoriam
- On April 28, 1943, the city of Greenville, TexasGreenville, TexasGreenville is the county seat, and the largest city, of Hunt County, Texas, in the United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 25,557....
celebrated Dean Hallmark Day which was done in conjunction with the Second War Bond Drive. - On April 18, 1946, the Veterans of Foreign WarsVeterans of Foreign WarsThe Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a congressionally chartered war veterans organization in the United States. Headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri, VFW currently has 1.5 million members belonging to 7,644 posts, and is the largest American organization of combat...
, Post 4011 in Greenville, Texas, named their lodge after Dean. Dean's mother was the guest of honor. - Auburn UniversityAuburn UniversityAuburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
dedicated a bronze plaque to Dean's memory in the Letterman's Lounge in the east wing of Jordan-Hare Stadium (F. Thompson, personal communication to C. NielsenChase NielsenChase Jay Nielsen was a career officer in the U.S. Air Force. He is notable as having participated in the Doolittle Raid in 1942 and being one of the four surviving prisoners of war from that raid....
, October 8, 2002) - Study carrel 4431P inside the Auburn University library was named in Dean's honor.
In popular culture
- Dean's name is mentioned during the carrier takeoff scene in the 1944 MGM film Thirty Seconds Over Tokyo.Thirty Seconds over TokyoThirty Seconds Over Tokyo is a 1944 MGM war film. It is based on the true story of America's first retaliatory air strike against Japan four months after the December 1941 Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The movie was directed by Mervyn LeRoy and produced by Sam Zimbalist. The screenplay by...
- An officer confined to a stretcher because of sickness in the 1944 20th Century Fox film The Purple HeartThe Purple HeartThe Purple Heart is a 1944 American war film directed by Lewis Milestone.It is a dramatization of the trial of a number of US airmen by the Japanese during the Second World War...
is loosely based on Dean. - Dean has been one of many subjects in a great number of books detailing the Doolittle Raid, most authored by the Raiders' official historian, Colonel (USAF, Ret.) C.V. Glines.
- In the 2001 Touchstone film, Pearl Harbor,Pearl Harbor (film)Pearl Harbor is a 2001 American action drama war film directed by Michael Bay and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and Randall Wallace, who wrote the screenplay...
Ben AffleckBen AffleckBenjamin Géza Affleck-Boldt , better known as Ben Affleck, is an American actor, film director, writer, and producer. He became known with his performances in Kevin Smith's films such as Mallrats and Chasing Amy...
's character, Capt. Rafe McCauley, assumes Dean's #6 position in order of flight during the Doolittle Raid sequence as evidenced by the ready room chalkboard.
Awards
| Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) Distinguished Flying Cross (United States) The Distinguished Flying Cross is a medal awarded to any officer or enlisted member of the United States armed forces who distinguishes himself or herself in support of operations by "heroism or extraordinary achievement while participating in an aerial flight, subsequent to November 11, 1918." The... (awarded posthumously) |
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| Purple Heart Purple Heart The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York... (awarded posthumously) |
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| Prisoner of War Medal Prisoner of War Medal The Prisoner of War Medal is a military award of the United States armed forces which was authorized by Congress and signed into law by President Ronald Reagan on 8 November 1985... (awarded posthumously) |
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| American Defense Service Medal American Defense Service Medal The American Defense Service Medal is a decoration of the United States military, recognizing service before America’s entry into the Second World War but during the initial years of the European conflict.-Criteria:... |
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| American Campaign Medal American Campaign Medal The American Campaign Medal was a military decoration of the United States armed forces which was first created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt... with bronze service star for anti-submarine patrol |
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| Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal The Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal is a service decoration of the Second World War which was awarded to any member of the United States military who served in the Pacific Theater from 1941 to 1945 and was created on November 6, 1942 by issued by President Franklin D. Roosevelt. The medal was... with bronze service star for Doolittle Raid (awarded posthumously) |
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| World War II Victory Medal World War II Victory Medal The World War II Victory Medal is a decoration of the United States military which was created by an act of Congress in July 1945. The decoration commemorates military service during World War II and is awarded to any member of the United States military, including members of the armed forces of... (awarded posthumously) |
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| Breast Order of Pao Ting Order of the Sacred Tripod The Order of the Sacred Tripod, Order of the Precious Tripod or Pao Ting is a military award from the Republic of China. It was created on 15 May 1929 for significant contributions to national security.... awarded by the Republic of China Republic of China The Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan , is a unitary sovereign state located in East Asia. Originally based in mainland China, the Republic of China currently governs the island of Taiwan , which forms over 99% of its current territory, as well as Penghu, Kinmen, Matsu and other minor... (awarded posthumously) |