caption serviceyears branch commands death_place death_date birth_place allegiance awards article_title battles birth_date placeofburial rank alt image signature birth_name
dean in 1950 1921 -- 1955 usa 44th infantry division 7th infantry division 24th infantry division san francisco , california , u.s. 24 august 1981 carlyle , illinois , u.s. united states of america 1912 medal legion of merit bronze star of honor distinguished service cross distinguished service medal william f. dean
 world war ii korean war 1 august 1899 san u.s. francisco national cemetery san francisco , california , 24px two silver stars major general william f. dean.jpg 150px william frishe dean
william f. dean

william frishe dean , sr. -lrb- august 1 , 1899august 24 , 1981 -rrb- was a united states army major general during world war ii and the korean war .
he received the medal of honor for his actions on july 20 and 21 , 1950 , during the battle of taejon in south korea .
dean was also the highest ranking american officer captured by the north koreans during the korean war .
born in illinois , dean attended the university of california at berkeley before graduating with a commission in the us army through the reserve officer 's training corps -lrb- rotc -rrb- in 1921 .
slowly rising up the ranks in the inter-war years , dean worked a desk job in washington d.c. for much of world war ii before being transferred to the 44th infantry division which he later commanded during the final days of the war , and was awarded a distinguished service cross .
dean is known for commanding the 24th infantry division at the outbreak of the korean war .
dean led the division for several weeks in unsuccessful delaying battles against the north koreans , before he led his division in making a last stand at taejon .
during the confused retreat from that city , dean was separated from his soldiers and badly injured , and was eventually captured by the north koreans .
he remained in north korean custody near p'yongyang for the remainder of the war .
after the end of the conflict , dean returned to the united states to a hero 's welcome .
he retired from the army soon after and lived a quiet life until his death .
