Dean Caswell | |
|---|---|
 Caswell in 1945 | |
| Born | (1922-07-24)July 24, 1922 Banning, California, U.S. |
| Died | September 21, 2022(2022-09-21) (aged 100) Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Buried | Cook Walden Forest Oaks Memorial Park Austin, Texas, U.S. |
| Allegiance | United States |
| Branch |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1942–1968 |
| Rank |  Colonel |
| Unit | |
| Battles / wars | World War II Korean War |
| Awards | |
Dean Caswell (July 24, 1922 – September 21, 2022) was aUnited States Marine Corpsflying ace duringWorld War II. He accrued seven victories in the war. He retired from military service in 1968 at the rank ofcolonel. He was the last living Marine Corps flying ace of World War II.[1]
Caswell was born on July 24, 1922, inBanning, California.[2] The family moved toEdinburg, Texas, that year.[3] He was a member of theBoy Scouts, where he earned the Aviation merit badge after building amodel airplane. He grew up during theGreat Depression and had to work in a series of jobs on ranches. He attendedEdinburg Junior College prior to joining theUnited States Marine Corps in September 1942.[2]
In September 1942, Caswell enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Navy, and was commissioned asecond lieutenant in theU.S. Marine Corps and on December 16, 1943, he received hisWings of Gold atNAS Pensacola.[4]
In April 1944, after completing additional training, Caswell was assigned toVMF-221, which was equipped with theVought F4U Corsair, atSanta Barbara, California, before being deployed aboard the aircraft carrierUSSBunker Hill (CV-17) in the Pacific in January 1945. Caswell and his unit took part in aerial attacks against theJapanese mainland. On March 18, he scored his first aerial victories when he shot down threeA6M Zeros, while attacking an airfield inMiyazaki Prefecture.[5]
On April 12, 1945, during theBattle of Okinawa, Caswell scored his fourth aerial victory when he shot down a Zero overKikaijima. His biggest day came on April 28 while on a combat air patrol 150 miles north of Okinawa, he shot down aKawasaki Ki-61 and his flight was vectored to a formation of 25 Zeros that were headed towardTask Force 58 and Okinawa. In the ensuing battle, Caswell's flight was credited with destroying eight Zeros, he himself shooting down two of them with the probable destruction of another. For his heroism in the aerial battle, he was awarded theSilver Star and earned the title offlying ace.[5]
Bunker Hill was struck and severely damaged by two Japanesekamikaze planes on May 11, which resulted in 393 sailors and airmen killed, including 41 missing and never found, and 264 wounded.[6] Caswell survived the attack, and he and other surviving airmen helped the firefighters in fighting the fire on theBunker Hill.[7]
During the war, Caswell was credited with the destruction of seven enemy aircraft in aerial combat, plus one probable destruction. After returning to the United States, Caswell was assigned as an F4U pilot withVMF-451 atMCAS El Centro in California, from June 1945 until he left active duty in November 1945.[4]
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After the end of World War II, Caswell served in various Marine Corps aviation units and attended additional flying training from January 1946 to April 1951.[4]
During theKorean War, he was assigned toVMF(N)-513 as aF3D Skyknight pilot. Stationed atPusan West (K-1) Air Base inSouth Korea, he flew night fighter escort missions forUSAFB-29 Superfortresses attacking military and industrial targets in North Korea, while defending them against CommunistMiG-15s. He flew missions from June to October 1952 and was transferred toVMC-1 in South Korea from October 1952 to February 1953. He returned to the United States in December 1953 and was assigned toMCAS El Toro.[8][4]
Caswell served in a variety of command and staff positions over the next 15 years, including atMCAS Beaufort, where he served as commanding officer ofMACS-6, from January to December 1964. His final position was as commanding officer of Headquarters and Service Battalion atMCRD Parris Island, from April 1966 until his retirement from the Marine Corps on December 31, 1968.[4]
Caswell was married twice and had seven children. After retirement from active service in 1968, he resided inAustin, Texas.[9][1][10]
Caswell died at home on September 21, 2022, at age 100. He was buried at Cook Walden Forest Oaks Memorial Park in Austin.[3][11][12]
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| Naval Aviator Badge | |||||||||||
| Silver Star | Distinguished Flying Cross w/ one5⁄16" gold star | ||||||||||
| Air Medal w/ four5⁄16" gold stars | Navy Presidential Unit Citation | Navy Unit Commendation | |||||||||
| American Campaign Medal | Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ three3⁄16" bronze stars | World War II Victory Medal | |||||||||
| Navy Occupation Service Medal w/ 'Japan' clasp | National Defense Service Medal w/3⁄16" bronze star | Korean Service Medal w/ three3⁄16" bronze stars | |||||||||
| Republic of Korea Presidential Unit Citation | United Nations Korea Medal | Republic of Korea War Service Medal | |||||||||
Citation:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to First Lieutenant Dean Caswell, United States Marine Corps Reserve, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity as a Member of a six-plane flight of Fighter Planes in Marine Fighting Squadron TWO HUNDRED TWENTY-ONE (VMF-221), attached to the U.S.S. BUNKER HILL (CV-17), in action against enemy Japanese forces while on combat air patrol in the vicinity of Okinawa, Ryukyu Islands, on 28 April 1945. When his flight intercepted a formation of approximately thirty Japanese fighters approaching Okinawa to launch an attack on shipping and land installations, Second Lieutenant Caswell skillfully pressed home his attack against the greatly superior force and succeeded in shooting down three enemy planes and probably destroying one other. By his aggressive fighting spirit and skilled airmanship, he contributed materially to the outstanding record of his flight in destroying one other and routing the remainder, thereby protecting our ships and land installations. His conduct throughout was in keeping with the highest traditions of the United States Naval Service.[13]