Carl Dinwiddie: Navy pilot became plane crash investigator

BATAVIA – Carl Dinwiddie was a U.S. Navy pilot who flew over North Vietnam during Operation Rolling Thunder, a bombing campaign in response to a Viet Cong attack on a U.S. air base at Pleiku, and during the Tet Offensive, named because the attack occurred during the country’s Lunar New Year celebration.

“We had over 700 POWs [prisoners of war] captured and held captive in North Vietnam due to [President Lyndon] Johnson’s theory about bombing North Vietnam to bring North Vietnam to the bargaining table,” Dinwiddie wrote in an email. “It didn’t work. … The 700 POW pilots were released and came back home in 1973.”

Returning to civilian life, Dinwiddie became an investigator for the National Transportation Safety Board, investigating aircraft accidents for 33 years before retiring.

After moving to Batavia from Itasca, Dinwiddie continued his service to the community as a 25-year member of the Batavia Overseas VFW Post 1197. He now serves on its board.

He also helped organize Batavia’s annual Loyalty Day Parade for about 15 years.

Dinwiddie has been a member of St. Charles American Legion Post 342 for 20 years.

He serves his community in other ways as well. Dinwiddie and his wife, Yvonne, were the Illinois representatives for a First Candle-SIDS Alliance after a family member was affected by SIDS – sudden infant death syndrome.

“We were the Illinois reps for five years,” Dinwiddie said. “I still get calls sometimes at 2 a.m. – all kinds of times – from parents who have kids who quit breathing. We were helping other parents deal with their problems with SIDS.”

Dinwiddie’s family member survived.

Dinwiddie also was in charge of the local Combined Federal Campaign for five years. It was like the United Way, only for federal employees, he said.

“It goes to the same people United Way gives to,” Dinwiddie said. “I was a member of the Chicago Federal Executive Board for over 20 years. It sets up Combined Federal Campaign kickoff meetings in Chicago. I was the rep in the Midwest.”

The Chicago Federal Executive Board represents more than 50,000 federal employees in 11 counties: Cook, DuPage, McHenry, Lake, Will, Grundy, DeKalb, Kendall and Kane in Illinois and Lake and Porter in Indiana.

The objectives are emergency preparedness, security and employee safety; workforce development and support; intergovernmental and interagency collaboration; and community outreach, according to its website, chicago.feb.gov.

Dinwiddie also tries to support the community by working with elected officials.

He delivered a four-page letter to U.S. Rep. Bill Foster, D-Naperville, about banking and interest rates. Foster serves on the banking committee.

Dinwiddie said he contributed to the Senior Advisory Committee of State Sen. Karina Villa, D-West Chicago.

Most recently, the Dinwiddies went to public meetings in Aurora and Sugar Grove regarding the creation of tax increment finance districts, he said.

“I try to help and support my community and other communities,” Dinwiddie said.

Cliff Bartelt, a fellow member of the Batavia VFW, said Dinwiddie is trustworthy.

“You need certain people you feel comfortable with and you can trust,” Bartelt said. “Other people say they will do the job, but they don’t do the job. Carl and Yvonne say they are going to do the job, they do the job and they do it wholeheartedly. You can trust them. If he tells you something, it’s gospel – or close to gospel.”

Dinwiddie’s assistance in putting the Loyalty Day Parade together was invaluable.

“His help was greatly appreciated,” Bartelt said. “We have a committee that is formed a year ahead of time and he’s always been on the committee along with others. They organize the parade route, get forms from the city to conduct the parade and how they are going to line up the units.”

The last parade was in 2014. It has been replaced with a community picnic.