Hamilton H. Dyer, 1939

Our Omega Mu brothers who served in the military are cherished and constant fraternal friends, and we would like to say thank you for the steadfast, purposeful commitment you made to our nation to defend those four freedoms we all believe in: “Freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear.” For those brothers who were killed in defense of these freedoms, they will always occupy a consecrated place in our linked fraternal heart because they exemplify the idea of superlative commitment, strength, and fortitude for the good to the end itself. The greatness of their collective purpose and will, on our nation’s behalf, will never be forgotten. By their “clear-eyed faith and fearless heart,” these brothers have left us a fraternal legacy that echoes what we often say about Omega Mu Fijis: “Perseverance and determination are omnipotent.” Their code of integrity, courage, duty, responsibility, and self-sacrifice on behalf of our nation is a powerful legacy that we will always be proud of as Omega Mu Fijis. 

​Whether it was at New Orleans, Red River, Fort Blakely, Marianna, San Juan Hill, Santiago de Cuba, Chateau-Thierry, Verdun, El Guettar, Elba, Monte Della Vedetta, the Battle of the Bulge, Rabaul, Inchon, Pusan, Chosin Reservoir, Pork Chop Hill, Hue, Easter Offensive, Phu Cat, The Iron Triangle, Hamburger Hill, la Drang Valley, Bien Hoa, Khe Sanh, Rumaila,  Al-Batin, Medina Ridge, Kabul, Kandahar, our Omega Mu brothers have demonstrated devotion to duty in defense of freedom and liberty. They are the stability of our nation, and we, the Omega Mu brotherhood, revere, honor, and salute their persevering and determined spirit within our great nation and our historic brotherhood. We will always honor the heroism of all of our brothers who have served in the armed forces from the Civil War to the present. Thank you.

Omega Mu Veteran
Hamilton H. Dyer, Jr,
​ 1939

Omega Mu Years

Hamilton H. Dyer, Jr., Second Row, Second from Left

1939
​Snow Sculpture

1940
​Snow Sculpture

Dudley Utterback

"Phi Gamma Delta member Dudley Utterback, designer and chief engineer of the winning statue sculpturing contest held at the University of Maine."

"Hamilton Dyer, of Phi Gamma Delta, won the crown in the
​125 pound class."

World War II

Hamilton Higgins Dyer was in the United States Air Corp Ferry Command during World War II. He received the Air Medal and Oak Leaf Cluster for leading flights of P-38's over the South Pacific, and he broke time records in ferrying Flying Fortresses to England. He died after his plane crashed in  the Snow Mountains in China after a successful bombing attack on the Imperial Iron and Steel Works at Yawata, Japan. 

P-38’s

B-17 Flying Fortress

Crew of the Praying Mantis,
Major Hamilton H. Dyer was the pilot.

"Among the 14 warplanes that were lost was a B-29 nicknamed The Praying Mantis, which was assigned to the 444th Bomb Group of the 58th Bomb wing. On its way back, it ran our of fuel about 100 kilometers from it base Chengdu
and crashed into the remote ShiLing Snow Mountain. All 11 crew members on board
were missing and all subsequent search
​and recovery efforts had failed."

B-29 Super Fortress

The Yawata Steel Works, on the Japanese island of Honshu, after being bombed. 

After bombing the Yawata Steel Works, the Praying Mantis crashed in the Snow Mountains near Chengdu, China. ​

Memorial to crew of the Praying Mantis at the crash site in Chengdu, China. Items recovered from the crash site are below.

"He was made a major at the age of 25 and was regarded as an outstanding pilot."

“What if the space be long and wide,
That parts us from our brother’s side
A soul-joined chain unites our band,
And memory links us hand in hand.”
(Phi Gamma Delta fraternity song)

Fraternally,
Chip Chapman, ’82
Perge!