Pacific Stars and Stripes,
May 11, 1961
Seoul - Air Force Col. Dean
E. Hess will be awarded the Saessak Society's Sopa Prize for 1961
in recognition for saving 900 homeless children during the Korean
War.
Hess, now head of the Air Force Information Office
in Hollywood, airlifted the orphans to the safety of Cheju Island
in an exploit later depicted in the film "Battle Hymn."
The Sopa Prize was established in 1956 in memory
of the late Jung Hwan Bang (1899-1931), whose pen name was Sopa. Bang
dedicated himself to the welfare of children.
The fifth annual prize will be presented to Hess
this month through the Republic of Korea consul in Los Angeles.
In a letter to the Saessak Society, Hess wrote
that he was pleased to accept the award "in the respect that it is
an obligation on my part to work always in the interest and welfare
of children."
S&S Korea Bureau
PSS-635
