'Father of War Orphans' honored

By Yi Whan-woo

The Air Force has set up a memorial monument on Jeju Island to honor the late Dean Hess, an American pilot who saved hundreds of South Korean orphans during the 1950-53 Korean War, according to military officials.

They said the monument was installed last week at the Jeju Aerospace Museum on the second anniversary of Hess’ death. He died in March 2015 at the age of 97.

Nicknamed the “Father of War Orphans,” Hess, a former U.S. Air Force colonel, saved approximately 950 orphans in the path of the Chinese advance in December 1950 and helped move them to the island on C-54 transport planes.

Hess, also a Christian minister, built a children’s home on Jeju Island and raised funds for the orphans for more than 20 years after the truce.

His eldest son Larry Hess attended the memorial unveiling ceremony, joined by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Jeong Kyeong-doo and Marc Knapper, deputy chief of mission at the U.S. Embassy and the acting ambassador in Seoul.

The Air Force said the memorial was erected in line with Hess’ wishes as written in his autobiography, titled “Battle Hymn.”

He requested a memorial be built in commemoration of the pain and sacrifices of the orphans during the Korean War.

“We first came up with a plan to build a memorial last April to uphold his wishes to honor his good deeds,” an Air Force official said.

Several images related to Hess are carved on the memorial, such as orphans waving at the military transport aircraft and Hess riding in a combat plane.

The municipal government of Jeju Island and Jeju Free International City Development Center, a state-run enterprise, supported installing the memorial, according to the official.