Captain Lawrence Everett Dickson, An Airman's Story
Captain Lawrence Everett Dickson, An Airman's Story
Lawrence Everett Dickson was born on May 31, 1920. A native of South Carolina, he later relocated to the Bronx, New York, where he lived before entering military service.
An accomplished musician, Captain Dickson played the guitar and was known for carrying a harmonica with him, even on missions, an object that reflected both discipline and humanity amid the demands of war.
On March 25, 1943, in response to World War II, he enlisted in the United States Air Force (Army Air Forces. He trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field and was assigned to the 100th Fighter Squadron, one of the original Tuskegee Airmen units. After completing his training, Captain Dickson deployed to the European Theater, serving in Italy as part of the air campaign against Axis forces.
While flying a P-51 Mustang along the border between Italy and Austria, Captain Dickson experienced engine failure and crash-landed. Initially declared missing and non-recoverable, he was memorialized on the Tablets of the Missing at the Florence American Cemetery.
Decades later, in 2012, his aircraft was discovered, and a formal excavation took place in 2017. Captain Lawrence Everett Dickson’s remains were positively identified and repatriated to the United States. He now rests at Arlington National Cemetery, finally returned home.
Among the personal effects recovered from the crash site was his ring, engraved with his and his wife’s initials, a quiet reminder that behind every aircraft and mission stood a life deeply connected to home, love, and unfinished futures.
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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller traveling through life
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