Captain John W. Dickson, born on October 2, 1920, in Henryville, was the son of a high school principal and a schoolteacher. He enlisted in the Air Corps on March 17, 1942, after a creative effort to meet the weight requirement. Dickson trained at various Army Flying Schools and earned his pilot's wings on October 30, 1942. He initially served with the 323rd Fighter Squadron, flying Curtiss P-40F Warhawks, before transitioning to the P-47 Thunderbolt with the 365th Fighter Squadron, 358th Fighter Group.

In February 1943, the 365th Squadron received P-47s, fulfilling Dickson's dream. The 358th Fighter Group was deployed to England in October 1943, and Dickson achieved an aerial victory on February 8, 1944.

Tragically, on April 11, 1944, his aircraft was shot down by German flak at the Rennes Saint-Jacques airfield. Captain Dickson was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Air Medal with five Oak Leaf Clusters, and the Purple Heart posthumously. Initially buried in Rennes, his remains were repatriated and reburied in Mt. Zion Cemetery, Henryville, on July 25, 1948.