Pacific Stars and Stripes, June 16, 1959
ASHIYA AB, Japan (S & S)- Three
crates containing 2,700 pounds of gifts from the people of Texas to
Korean orphans in Seoul will be airlifted June 18 from here.
The shipment-to be flown to Osau AB aboard a C-130
Hercules of the 817th Troop Carrier Sq.-is marked for Hope Inc., an
orphanage founded by Air Force Col. Dean Hess in Korea.
Col. Hess gained fame after he organized Operation
Kiddie Car in the winter of 1950-51 that airlifted more than 800 Korean
waifs to safety from the Chinese Communists to Cheju Island off the
southern tip of the war-torn country.
The Ashiya crew recently flew the gifts to Japan
from James Connelly AFB at Waco, TX. after one of the C-130's was
ferried back for overhaul and modifications.
The gifts were collected by the Junior Chamber
of Commerce throughout Texas.
Hope Inc. is an agency dedicated to helping needy
children in Seoul. It was made famous by a movie, "Battle Hymn." Based
on Col. Hess' autobiography.
Col. Hess-also known as the "Flying Parson"-is
a veteran of more than 250 combat missions in Korea during the three-year
conflict.
He is an ordained minister of the Central Christian
Church in Marietta, Ohio.
Col. Hess is currently assigned in Los Angeles,
CA, with the Air Force's Office of Information Services.
PSS-618
