Dean Hess Dean E . Hess ( born December 6 , 1917 ) is an American minister and United States Air Force colonel who was involved in the so - called " Kiddy Car Airlift , " the documented rescue of 950 orphans and 80 orphanage staff from the path of the Chinese advance during the Korean War on December 20 , 1950 . He is the subject of autobiography " Battle Hymn " , published in 1956 , which later served the basis for the 1957 film of the same name , where he was played by Rock Hudson . Biography . Hess attended Marietta College , Ohio , graduating in the class of 1941 . Following this , he was ordained as a church minister in Cleveland , Ohio . Following the December 7 , 1941 Attack on Pearl Harbor , Hess enlisted in the United States Army Air Forces . He served as a combat pilot in France after the Normandy landings , and flew a total of 63 combat missions in P - 47 s . Despite returning to civilian life , Hess was recalled to active service in July 1948 , and was stationed in Japan as part of the American occupation there . In June 1950 , he was transferred to Korea at the outbreak of the Korean War as the commander of Bout One Project , the program under which a cadre of USAF instructor pilots trained South Korean pilots in flying the F - 51D Mustang . Hess served in Korea until June the following year , at which time had flown 250 combat missions . Also during his tour , he became involved in charity organizations for orphaned children in the war zone , and his airfield was reportedly full of such children . Kiddy Car Airlift . With the airfield over capacity , Hess sent the orphans to an orphanage in Seoul . When the North Korean forces began to capture the city , Hess reportedly organized 15 C - 54 Skymaster aircraft to airlift the orphans to safety on Jeju Island . At the time of Hess ' departure from Korea , a new orphanage on this island held over 1 , 000 Korean children . Later life . Hess published his autobiography in 1956 and used the royalties to fund a new orphanage in Seoul . He retired from the Air Force in 1969 . For his actions in Korea , he was awarded the Republic of Korea Honor , and the of Korean Order of Cultural Merit . He has received numerous other awards , including the Order of the White Elephant , a Presidential Citation , the Legion of Merit , Silver Star , Air Medal with 19 Clusters , and the Ohio Governor ' s Award . He was inducted into the Miami Valley Walk of Fame , and his actions are also the subject of an exhibit at the National Museum of the U . S . Air Force As of November , 2009 , Hess still lived in Ohio . Criticism . In 2004 one critic , Dr . George F . Drake , took issue with Hess ' portrayal of the Kiddy Car Airlift , claiming that Hess took more credit than deserved for the evacuation of the Korean orphans . Drake gave Air Force Chaplain Russell L . Blaisdell and Staff Sergeant Merle Y . Strang the credit for arranging the transport for the evacuation , with Hess ' role being reduced to providing accommodation on the island of Cheju itself . According to this criticism , Blaisdell was reportedly originally credited with the evacuation by the media until " Battle Hymn " was published . Drake terms Hess ' s claims as " fraudulent " but acknowledges that the proceeds from " Battle Hymn " and royalties from the movie were donated to charity to aid Korean orphans . Blaisdell , however , received later recognition in 2000 when he returned to Korea , where he was referred to as the " Schindler of Korea , " credit which Hess appeared to have agreed with , having in that same year acknowledged Blaisdell ' s contribution . Strang , however , received no recognition , and died in 1998 .