Dean Monroe Dickey enlisted in the Army in 1939, and by the time America entered WWII he was a master machine gunner. Sergeant Dickey was awarded the Silver Star for his action in defending an aid station on Guadalcanal from a Japanese attack on 14 January 1943.

In 1948, Lieutenant Colonel Dickey received a degree in chemistry and was commissioned in the Chemical Corps. He was assigned as the Chemical Supply Officer, 9710th Technical Escort Unit. After accidental exposure to nerve agent, he returned to the Technical Escort Detachment at Edgewood Arsenal. He was then designated as officer in charge of a 7-man team charged with the mission of clearing an area on Gunpowder Neck of Edgewood Arsenal known as “O” Field. He served as the chemical liaison officer at the U.S. Naval Ordnance Disposal School at Indian Head, Maryland, and later at the Army Material Command in Washington, DC.

In addition to the Silver Star Lieutenant Colonel Dickey’s awards include the Legion of Merit for meritorious service and was commended for having a “profound understanding of the Center’s requirements and ability to communicate these needs to his subordinates” and a commendation from the Secretary of the Army for his work in chemical agent escort and disposal fields.

Following his military retirement, he continued to serve the Nation as a civilian project engineer for the U.S. Army Toxic and Hazardous Materials Agency.

Lieutenant Colonel Dickey died on 14 November 1979 in Washington, DC.