Biography of
Aquilla James "Jimmie" Dyess

Jimmie Dyess was born on January 11, 1909 near Augusta, Georgia. Jimmie, known as a "healthy, happy, robust, energetic boy with a great shock of unruly dark red hair," grew up in a faithful Christian family. By the time he was in high school, he had grown to 6’1 and 190 lbs. and his friends referred to him as "Big Red". He attended the Academy of Richmond County, where he enjoyed football, military drill, and Boy Scouts.

As a Boy Scout, he was a very active member of Troop 4 chartered by the First Baptist Church of Augusta. He achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. In 1926, he was one of five Boy Scouts selected to represent the Augusta area Boy Scouts in Washington DC. On May 1st of that year, President Calvin Coolidge addressed the National Council of the Boy Scouts of America commending the Boy Scouts and recognizing the great value Scouting brought to the Nation and its youth.

On July 13, 1928, Dyess was vacationing with his family at a beach just north of Charleston on Sullivan's Island when a storm rolled in, bringing high winds and waves. He came upon a group of on-lookers, as apparently one woman, Miss Barbara Muller, was attempting to rescue another, Mrs. Roscoe Holley, who had been swept out to sea.

Several other unsuccessful attempts had been made at a rescue when Miss Muller made a "last-ditch" effort to save Mrs. Holley. Upon realizing the situation, Dyess immediately went into the sea after the two women, who had been carried out as far as 200 yards. After 30 minutes of apparent doom, Dyess helped the two women to shore, after which he gave further assistance in aiding the resuscitation. In 1929, Jimmie Dyess was awarded the Carnegie Medal for saving these two swimmers while placing his own life in great jeopardy.

From 1927 to 1932, Dyess attended Clemson College, Clemson, South Carolina. He was a varsity football player, the Captain of the Rifle Team, and served as a cadet major in the Reserve Officers' Training Corps. In 1931, he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in architecture and appointed a second lieutenant in the US Army Infantry Reserve.

In civilian life, he worked as a timekeeper for the Augusta Lumber Company and continued his military career by joining the local Army Reserves.. He also served as assistant director of a boys summer camp.

In November 1936, the Marine Corps formed a new reserve battalion in Augusta which offered more training and more pay each year. Dyess quickly transferred between the services. He filled the rest of his time working either at the Lumber Company or as a residential contractor.

He also spent some time from 1936-40 as a company commander, instructor, and member of the Marine Corps Reserve team. In the fall of 1940, he was called to active duty and was named acting commander of a battalion. In 1943, Major Dyess was responsible for the movement of an entire Marine battalion to Camp Pendleton, just north of San Diego, CA. Soon after his arrival, the Marines promoted him to lieutenant colonel.

In January of 1944, Dyess and the 4th Marine Division set sail for the Central Pacific and specifically the Marshall Islands. The 4th Marine Division became the first group of Marines to go directly into combat from the United States. It was the first American unit to capture Japanese-owned territory in the Pacific. It also secured its primary objective, the Island of Roi Namur, in less than three days, a shorter time than any other important operation in the entire Pacific War.

Anxious to engage the enemy in combat, Dyess and his first two companies reached the beaches of Namur on the first of February in 1944. Heading inland, both companies were "immediately thrown into combat and were soon engaged in heavy fighting." Dyess moved towards the area of heaviest fighting after volunteering to be the senior officer in charge of troops actively engaged in close combat with the Japanese.

Moving to the right frontline of the troops, Dyess learned that several Marines were caught behind enemy lines. With dusk approaching, he quickly assembled and led a rescue party that fought through enemy lines to reach the stranded Marines. While his men assisted wounded Marines back to friendly lines, Dyess continued to provide cover fire. They completed the rescue just as "total darkness engulfed the battered island."

Closing in on the remaining Japanese military on the second day, Dyess maneuvered troops and tanks inland. While moving up and down the line at one position, he knowingly exposed himself to enemy fire in an effort to direct the fire of his fellow Marines.

At about 10:45 PM on February 2, as Dyess "rose up once again to observe the enemy's firing positions and to direct fire against them," a Japanese bullet struck him in the head, probably fired from a machine gun in an enemy pillbox, killing him instantly. Two nearby soldiers quickly grabbed a stretcher and carried Dyess a half mile back to the beach. The news of his death spread quickly, making it all the way to Augusta. Dyess would leave behind his 32-year-old wife and eight-year-old daughter.

On April 26, 1944, Admiral Nimitz highlighted the heroism of Dyess during a special ceremony. On July 18, the White House made an official announcement that Lieutenant Colonel A.J. Dyess had earned the Medal of Honor.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for "conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty as Commanding Officer of the First Battalion, Twenty-Fourth Marines, Reinforced, Fourth Marine Division, in action against enemy Japanese forces during the assault on Namur Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands, 1 February and 2, 1944."

Jimmie Dyess is one of only six known Eagle Scouts who received the Medal of Honor. The others are Robert Edward Femoyer (WW2), Eugene B. Fluckey (WW2), Mitchell Paige (WW2), Leo K. Thorsness (Vietnam) and Jay Zeamer, Jr.(WW2).

In 1945, the US Navy named a naval destroyer the U.S.S. Dyess.

Lieutenant Colonel Dyess was initially buried in the 4th Marine Division Cemetery on Roi-Namur Island, Kwajalein Atoll, Marshall Islands. In 1948, he was re-interred in Westover Memorial Park Cemetery, Augusta, Georgia.

He is the only American to receive both the Carnegie Medal for civilian heroism and the Medal of Honor for military heroism. His personal leadership example and willingness to serve others stands as a testament to his Scouting values, his leadership, and his willingness to preserve freedom. Those that he saved, those that he knew, and those that know of his story will always remember him for his leadership, courage, and heroism. These are all values he learned as a Boy Scout and a member of the U.S. Armed Forces. We should celebrate Jimmie Dyess and those many other citizens like him who lead, serve, and sacrifice for our community, our Nation, and our freedom.

NOTE: This biography was created from unattributed sources.