There were no rattlesnakes at the Rattlesnake Trail 50K in Charleston, West Virginia. At least, we didn’t see any. My running buddy and I wanted to do an ultra together before I moved from Northern Virginia to Japan. I looked in UltraRunning Magazine and found a 50-kilometer race on July 13, less than seven hours […]
One perk of being in naval aviation maintenance is the occasional opportunity to fly in the backseat of a jet. While in the training command in 1979, I went through ejection seat training and water survival to do just that. Following a lecture about the ejection seat, we took turns strapping into a seat mounted […]
Speech at commissioning ceremony for CWO2 Vincent “Red” Phipps, USN, at Naval Air Station Norfolk, 1 March 1988 By LCDR Diane Diekman, USN Several months ago I read a letter in Naval Proceedings that I thought would be perfect to talk about today as Chief Phipps prepares to take the commissioning oath. It was written by […]
Women’s History Month speech at Naval Air Facility Atsugi in Japan — 21 March 1997 I’m awed to be standing in front of you today. I never thought I’d be senior enough or important enough to be a luncheon speaker. When my boss and I were discussing whether we should do something for Women’s History […]
Memorial Day speech in Clear Lake, South Dakota — 31 May 1999 WWII veterans John & Mildred Diekman, with daughters Diane & Lorraine Memorial Day officially originated with General Order Number Eleven, issued in 1868 by the Commander-in-Chief of the Grand Army of the Republic. The order designated May 30 as a day to decorate […]
I gave this eulogy at my dad’s funeral in Clear Lake, South Dakota, on September 11, 2003. In 1920 Herman Diekman moved his wife and four sons from Nebraska to a farm near Gary, South Dakota. He shipped his machinery, cattle and horses, household goods, and dogs by train. The German immigrant was buying into […]
9/ 12/1999 – celebrating 10th anniversary of liver transplant I gave this eulogy at my brother’s funeral in Clear Lake, South Dakota, on Saturday, 30 August 2003. My first memory of Kenny isn’t actually about Kenny. I don’t remember Mom bringing him home from the hospital. I don’t remember him as a little baby. But […]
CAPT Diane Diekman, USN — August 18, 2004 Almost 32 years ago I enlisted in the Navy–and wondered if signing away four years of my life was the right decision. But by the time I graduated from boot camp, I knew I’d be a lifer. At my sister’s Navy retirement ceremony in 1991, she said […]
[Excerpt from Navy Greenshirt] I had completed almost two years of a tour in a Navy training squadron, and my current job assignment was that of assistant maintenance officer (AMO). When the maintenance officer (MO) went on leave, I ran the Maintenance Department and thoroughly enjoyed my two weeks in charge. Everything went smoothly and […]
With goggles pulled tightly across my face, I waited for the signal to step out onto the USS Independence flight deck. Five men and I stood in the tiny entranceway of the aircraft carrier’s “island,” a seven-story superstructure that towered over the flight deck. My helmet muffled the engine roar outside the metal bulkhead. I […]