"Back to the start: 99-year-old veteran Guy Dill returns to Pearl Harbor for 80th anniversary of attack"

Guy Dill describes himself as a 1942 Tom Cruise in “Top Gun.” He enlisted in the military as a U.S. Navy fighter pilot Jan. 1, 1942, less than a month after the Japanese bombed Pearl Harbor during World War II. He was only 19 years old.

In December, Dill made the trip back to Hawaii for the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and shared his story with 280 Living.

Joining the navy

Dill graduated from high school just seven months before the attack on Pearl Harbor.

“It was either go in or be drafted, so I joined the Navy Air Corps,” he said. “I asked if I could be a pilot, so they put me into a flight training program in Pensacola, and that’s where I started. I told my sergeant the war would be over when I got my training.”

But it wasn’t.

During the latter part of 1942, Dill was assigned to a squadron in the South Pacific. By the time he arrived, there were still sunken ships in the canal at Pearl Harbor, so his squadron was based in the Hawaiian island of Maui. He was stationed aboard the USS Manilla Bay, a Casablanca-class escort naval carrier.

“I did a lot of flying in those fighter planes with the Navy. I landed and took off that carrier many times — I don’t see how I did it when I look back on it now,” Dill said. “We didn’t have jets then; we had prop planes, and there were about 12 wires of cables there to catch us with a hook when we landed [on the carrier]. We took off and flew that way if the wind was good. If not, they shot us off a catapult. It was quite an experience.”

Dill spent most of his time in the air, completing his training and flying reconnaissance missions over Pearl Harbor, protecting the skies and the land.

His main job was to provide air cover and bomb support for U.S. Marines retaking the islands that were occupied by Japanese forces. Dill would fly over and bomb the islands to clear a path.

“If they got bogged down, they’d call for air support, and that’s when they’d send the fighters in so they could advance on the island.”

Dill stayed on his assignment from 1942-45. The United States was two days away from bombing Japan when the treaty was signed to end the war. Dill said the Lord was with him and kept him safe through the war, allowing him to come back home.

Life after the military

After five years of active duty, Dill transferred to active reserve and worked for L&N Railroad, where his grandfather was an engineer.

“I worked for them for about six months before I went into the service, and they kept my job open until I came back from the war,” Dill said. “I worked for them again for about five years.”

Dill thought all the freight would soon be moving to truck lines, so he went to work for Malone Freight Lines. The company set up a sales department and asked Dill to take it over. He hired about 15 salesmen from all over the country and made the company over $30 million the first year.

He said he enjoyed the job and added that the best thing he could do was talk to people. He retired as vice president of sales after 16 years with the company. He also retired from active reserve with the U.S. Navy as a lieutenant commander after 23 years of service.

The Dill family made their home in Indian Springs for over 40 years, where Dill served on the Indian Springs council. He stayed there until his wife passed away over five years ago, and he now lives at the Colonel Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in Pell City.

Returning to Pearl Harbor

Dill was one of 62 veterans who recently made the trip to Pearl Harbor for the 80th anniversary of the attack Dec. 7. The trip was organized by the Best Defense Foundation, which was founded in 2018 by former NFL linebacker Donnie Edwards.

The nonprofit celebrates veterans from past conflicts — including WWII, Korea, Vietnam and those who have recently retired — with a goal of “taking care of the ones who took care of us.” The foundation also takes WWII veterans back to the battlefields where they served.

Dill and his son Butch, also a veteran and an Associated Press photographer, made the trip to Hawaii together.

All of the veterans flew into Dallas on Dec. 2, where they were greeted with a hero’s welcome. That evening, they enjoyed dinner prepared by Food Network chef Robert Irvine and dancing to big band music.

The next morning, they boarded an American Airlines 787 plane for their private flight to Hawaii. American Airlines provided the flight at no cost, and the pilots and crew donated their time for the trip.

“When we got on the plane, there were letters and posters from kids all over the country, and in every seat was a welcome letter written by an elementary school student,” Butch Dill said.

Upon their arrival in Hawaii, the group headed to Ford Island for a “liberty luau” at the Pearl Harbor Aviation Museum.

During their second day in Hawaii, they toured Schofield Barracks and Wheeler Airfield, which was the primary target and site of the first Japanese attack on Dec. 7, 1941. They had lunch with active duty U.S. Army soldiers and had a block party in Honolulu that evening.

During their third day, the group had lunch on the deck of the USS Missouri, the site of the official Japanese surrender of WWII. Many of the veterans had spent time on the ship years ago.

While aboard, Butch Dill said he was hit with a realization.

“It wasn’t until then did it dawn on me that the ship fought in WWII in the South Pacific, and my dad’s carrier fought alongside the ship during his battles,” Butch Dill said. “It was also the ship where the treaty was signed to end the war. They brought it back to fight in the Desert Storm, and it was in my battle group where I was fighting. My dad and I both got to see it in action, fighting in two different wars in two different parts of the world.”

The next morning, the veterans split up into three groups and visited a grade school, middle school and high school on the island before meeting with the 3rd Battalion, 3rd Marines on Kaneohe that afternoon.

On Dec. 7, the 80th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the veterans were taken to a commemoration event where they were recognized, honored and celebrated for their service and sacrifice. The Pearl Harbor Memorial Parade took place that evening, and the streets were lined with thousands who came out to pay their respects to the group.

“We walked about 2 miles down the road, and it was 20-30 people deep on both sides of the road,” Butch Dill said. “Everyone was waving American flags. It was packed.”

Butch Dill said he asked his father what he remembered about his time there in the 1940s, and Guy Dill shared his experiences of flying over the island and taking the ferry to the base at Ford Island.

“Mostly, he remembers it from the air, seeing damaged ships in the harbor,” Butch Dill said. “Looking at it from above and seeing all the sunken ships.”

It was a special trip for the father-and-son duo. Butch Dill said it was the first time he’s seen his father at length since the pandemic began. Also being in the military, they were able to experience this special event together.

Guy Dill called the trip wonderful and said he appreciated the people who made it happen.

“They had a banquet every night for us,” Guy Dill said. “They were wonderful to us. They went all out for us and really honored the WWII veterans.”

Guy Dill, who will turn 100 in May, said of his experience: “I wouldn’t take a million dollars for it, but I would take a million to do it again.”