Marine Corps Hero, Lieutenant Colonel Jimmie Dyess

On this date in 1945, the USS Dyess was commissioned by the United States Navy in honor of Marine Corps Lt. Col. Aquilla James “Jimmie” Dyess, the only person to win both the Carnegie Medal for civilian heroism and the Medal of Honor for selfless acts of valor in combat. The following poem attempts to tell the story in meter and rhyme of this singularly unique man.

Jimmie Dyess, a Most Unusual Man

A most unusual man, indeed.
A man dedicated to others,
Who lived an unselfish personal creed,
Willing to sweat and bleed,
And give up his life for his brothers.

When he was a very young man,
His devotion was never in doubt
That he would do all that he can
To win every race that he ran.
He became an Eagle Scout.

When he was only nineteen,
On a South Carolina shore,
He came across a daunting scene,
Calling all the courage he could glean,
That Fate had positioned him for.

Two women in the raging surf
Had been swept far out to sea.
He mustered all the strength he was worth
To bring them both to coastal turf,
And answer their rescue plea.

He dove into the raging tide,
Employing all energy within,
As he successfully tried
To see that neither woman died,
And robbed the Reaper Grim.

For his uncommon fortitude
He won the Carnegie Award.
The heroic action he pursued,
Fueled by courage imbued,
Would not be ignored.

But his story does not there end,
For later in World War Two
He was called to action again
To lead his gallant men
And do what he’s destined to do.

A Lieutenant Colonel now,
In the United States Marines,
He set the example of how
To honor the warriors’ vow,
As he directed men and machines.

For he led them from the front,
Out ahead of his men,
To guide them in the hunt,
Willing to risk the brunt
Of machine guns’ deadly din.

On the first day of the fight
On Kwajalein atoll,
Before the fall of night,
Four of his men might
Not come back from their patrol.

They were trapped in enemy space,
By Japanese counterattack.
He led the rescue to that place,
Confronted the enemy face-to-face,
And brought all of his men back.

While directing the final attack
Against a stubborn foe,
Through the smoke and flack
He heard the staccato crack
That laid this hero low.

For his heroism that day,
As he had done before,
Leading Marines all the way
In the Marshall Islands’ fray,
The Medal of Honor his body bore.

They laid him down to rest
With the honors he deserved;
The cherished medal upon his chest.
He’ll be remembered among the best
Of the men that ever served.

He holds a spot above us all,
Alone in exclusive, admirable accord.
He soared above the brawl.
His presence still stands tall
With the Honor Medal and Carnegie Award,

Sources: Wikipedia, “USS Dyess (DD-880)”;  Medal of Honor Citations: Dyess, Aquilla, James, www/army.mil/medalofhonor; The 5^th Annual Jimmie Dyess Symposium Program, Thursday, January 8, 2015, Augusta Museum of History; The Academy of Richmond County Hall of Fame inductee citation, “Lieutenant Colonel Aquilla James (Jimmie) Dyess”; DOD News, Medal of Honor Monday: Marine Corps Lt. Col. Aquilla James “Jimmie” Dyess, by Katie Lange, Feb. 1, 2021.

Note: For more stories of American heroes in meter and rhyme see Patriotic Poems by Lee Austin, available through Amazon.