I’ve been working this past week on the first chapter of Marty’s biography. My three main sources for his childhood are sister Lillie’s unpublished manuscript, the Andrew Means book of Mamie’s memories, and transcripts of Marty visiting with Ralph Emery. I’d love to talk to anyone who knew the Robinson family in the 1920s through 1940s. (more…)
NEW WEB SITE
I’ve finished transferring the content from my old Web site to the new one at https://dianediekman.com. You can comment specifically on any blog entry or send an email to diane@dianediekman.com. Thanks to Jeniffer Thompson of Monkey C Media in San Diego for building the site for me. Suggestions from readers are welcome. The blog page has a special category called “Newsletter,” where you can find these newsletters going back to October 2005. (more…)
Reprinted from Naval History magazine, July/August 1997
 “Corsairs from Heaven” by Captain Diane Diekman, U.S. Navy
Corporal Berry Rhoden, U.S. Army, crossed his arms over his head in a futile attempt to soften blows from the North Korean rifle butts that knocked him to the ground. One of his captors kicked him in the stomach, reopening the bloody wound he had sustained from a firing squad two days before. The enemy soldiers wanted him to walk, but the bullet had damaged the nerves in his legs so severely that he could barely crawl. (more…)
Originally printed in the Clear Lake Courier — May 31, 1995
It was Saturday evening, December 6, 1941. Most of the sailors at Naval Station Pearl Harbor were on liberty. The Bloch Recreation Center was filled to capacity for what was expected to be the first annual “Battle of Music.”
Three 21-piece bands had made it to the finals after several months of elimination concerts. Tonight would determine whether USS ARGONNE (AG 41), USS PENNSYLVANIA (BB 38), or USS TENNESSEE (BB 43) had the best band in the Navy’s Pacific Fleet. (more…)
Originally published in Clear Lake Courier — 12 May 1999
My last weeks in Japan arrived sooner than I expected–and found me with things still undone and places still unvisited. These included riding a bullet train and seeing the Atomic Bomb Dome in Hiroshima.
After I shipped my household goods and moved out of my house, I took the super-express Shinkansen train to Hiroshima. The Japanese countryside zipping past the train window varied from cities to rice paddies and distant mountains. (more…)
Kwai River Bridge at Kanchanaburi
Originally published in the Clear Lake Courier — 17 March 1999
The Eastern & Oriental Express luxury train runs through Thailand and down the west coast of Malaysia. I recently achieved my goal of experiencing this journey. The train left Bangkok late one Wednesday morning in January. (more…)
Originally published in the Clear Lake Courier — May 20, 1998
On my way to visit USS Belleau Wood near Australia, I spent a night in Cairns, Queensland. Well-known as an entrance to the Great Barrier Reef, the town seemed to exist only for tourism and diving.
A Marine Corps helicopter came to the Cairns airport to exchange passengers and pick up cargo. Australia’s extremely strict environmental laws required the crew to spray two cans of bug spray inside the helicopter before opening any doors, and then hand the empty cans to the agricultural inspectors on the ground–even though the CH-46E is open in the rear and on the upper sides. (more…)
Originally published in the Clear Lake Courier — 26 November 1997
My one day to spend sightseeing in Hong Kong was hindered by a heavy overcast and steady drizzle. Although I rode the tram up Victoria Peak, the zero visibility at the top permitted no photographs. I was supposed to be able to see a spectacular view of Victoria Harbor and the South China Sea. All I saw was fog.
USS Nimitz (CVN 68), one of the Navy’s nuclear-powered aircraft carriers, brought me to Hong Kong. I walked aboard in Yokosuka, Japan, and stayed with the ship during its five-day transit past Okinawa and Taiwan. (more…)
Horyu-ji (Temple of the Flourishing Law)
Originally published in the Clear Lake Courier — 10 February 1999
I recently walked through the oldest wooden building in the world. It is the main hall of a Buddhist temple in Nara, Japan, and was built sometime prior to 730 A.D. Named Horyu-ji (Temple of the Flourishing Law), this complex also contains Japan’s oldest five-story pagoda. (more…)
Originally published in the Clear Lake Courier — June 17, 1998
Cherry blossom time in
To experience one of these festivals, I joined four busloads of Americans (adults only) from NAF Atsugi on Easter Sunday. We went to the town of