P-51 By Faith He Flew Print - Unsigned

This print is unsigned. We also offer a version on our site which is limited edition and is signed by the artist and Dean Hess both.

Ohio native Dean Hess, sometimes called "The Flying Parson" was a fighter pilot in WWII, who was also called back to active duty for the Korean War with the rank of Major. Major Hess was given the initial command over what little there was of a Republic of Korea air force, which was a support unit that had mostly aging trainers as aircraft. After arriving at Taegu, he and other American volunteers helped to train South Korean pilots how to attack ground targets in 10 WWII era F-51D Mustangs. While the Americans were under orders strictly to function as trainers, they quickly found themselves leading by example having to pilot planes and fly on missions with their South Korean trainees. Hess called it "On the job training".

Eventually as the war continued, there were many orphans of the war becoming more visible foraging among ruins of battles. When U.N. troops had initially recaptured Seoul in 1950, they had moved displaced children to a local orphanage, but there were far too many now for that location. Fifth Air Force chaplain Russell L. Blaisdell and Hess worked to set up a deserted agricultural school on the then island of Cheju (now Jeju). After failing to get the children transported to the island refuge via the sea, a General in the US forces dispatched 15 C-54 Skymasters to save the day in an airlift which was dubbed "Operation Kiddy Car." as the planes delivered their precious cargo to Cheju.

After leaving his command in Korea, and returning to the US, Hess continued to raise funds for a new Orphans Home of Korea in Seoul. Colonel Hess and his wife Mary contributed thousands of dollars in royalties from his 1956 memoir book Battle Hymn. That memoir was turned into a movie starring Rock Hudson as Hess. Dean Hess himself was in the movie as a pilot and as a technical advisor. After returning home to Ohio, Hess served at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base until his retirement as a full colonel in 1969. His flight helmet and Korean military medal remain on display at the National Museum of the U.S. Air Force.

A memorial to Colonel Hess on Jeju Island in Korea bears a simple inscription:
Hero of the Korean War
Godfather of the ROK Air Force
Father of War Orphans