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 […]
Navy Greenshirt: A Leader Made, Not Born Chapter 1 “Captain, United States Navy, Arriving” Chapter 2 Maintenance Officer School Chapter 3 The Professionals of VT-23
The will Faron Young signed three months before his suicide directed that everything be sold–from guns and clothing to publishing rights and song royalties. Faron’s estate was purchased by Ed Gregory, whose United Shows of America (The Ultimate Midway) can be found at many state fairs. My biography research includes reviewing Faron’s remaining […]
[Excerpt from Navy Greenshirt] Before going to Japan, I had called Faron Young, and we’d held a long enjoyable conversation. As always, he had an opinion on everything and didn’t care how people reacted to his comments and actions. I enjoyed his wonderful sense of humor. He said he’d stopped smoking–again. (He had […]
“Dear Faron — When you’re good, you’re very very good. But when you’re bad, you’re the opposite!” These words of a speech teacher can be found in Faron Young’s 1951 high school yearbook. They accurately predicted the life of this future country music legend. From a teenager who cleaned fishing boats and sold manure […]