Capt. Tony Dedal was a fighter pilot of Philippine Air Force. He was assigned to fly the versatile P-51 Mustang and was commissioned to undertake several heroic missions that he successfully completed during his tour of duty with the 5th Fighter Wing.
A few years later, he became a commercial pilot but went back to combat duty, flying as a mercenary pilot for the CIA in Southeast Asia. After flying for the CIA, he went back to the Philippines and migrated to Australia in 1971 with his young family.
Captain Antonio Dedal is a contemporary of Capt. Mario Aldeguer who is now also in Australia.
There are unconfirmed reports that Tony and Mario flew combat missions in Mindanao. Tony, who is an avid subscriber of Philippine Sentinel died of primary PNS Lymphoma on August 18, 2012. — Dino Crescini