Master Sergeant Dews was a veteran of World War II. In Korea, he was a member of the 15th Field Artillery Battalion, 2nd Infantry Division. He was taken Prisoner of War while fighting the enemy near Hoengsong, South Korea, on 13 February 1951 and died while a prisoner on 3 June 1951.

Dews was awarded the Prisoner of War Medal, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation, the Republic of Korea War Service Medal and the World War II Victory Medal.