1st Lt. William H. Alm
United States Army Air Corps (1943-1945)

Edward Richard Diegelman Jr. was born on August 3, 1925, the son of Mr. and Mrs. Edward R. Diegelman of 819 Norwich Avenue. The Diegelman's were members of St. Marks Evangelical Lutheran Church. Edward was a graduate of Brookline Elementary School and South Hills High School, where he played the clarinet in the marching band. He was also an accomplished pianist.

Edward was a member of the Sons of Legion Post #540, the Order of De Molay, and American Legion Post #540. He was a pre-medical student at the University of Pittsburgh and a member of the University band when he entered the U.S. Army Aviation Air Corps on September 12, 1943.

After flight school, he was assigned as the radio operator/mechanic to an eleven-member B-29 Superfortress crew. Earmarked for deployment to the South Pacific as part of the 402nd Bombardment Squadron, 502nd Bombardment Group (Heavy), 20th Air Force, the crew headed south to Puerto Rico as part of the "Gypsy Task Force" to complete their training.

The radio/operator's duties were simple, yet vital to the crew. Edward had to monitor all radio traffic. His skill at maintaining contact could mean the difference between a successful mission and the aircraft being lost. The radioman also doubled as a flight mechanic, skilled in many of the handyman tasks necessary to keep the plane's mechanical systems operational.

The "Gypsy Task Force" was a special project inaugurated in December 1944 to help with the training of crews destined for the 315th Bomb Wing, part of the South Pacific's XXI Bomber Command. The Army Air Force Commanders were concerned about the lack of flight time logged at Very Heavy Bomber bases in Nebraska and Kansas due to adverse weather.

In response, they established bases in the Caribbean: Vernan, Jamaica; Batista, Cuba; and Borinquen, Puerto Rico. These fields became the advanced flight training bases for all Very Heavy Bomber units preparing to deply oveseas. The 502nd Bomb Group was the first unit to participate in the Gypsy Task Force.

A B29 Superfortress of the 502nd Bomb Group.

The 502nd arrived at Borinquen Air Base in Puerto Rico in January 1945 to begin four months of extensive fight training. On March 6, during a routine operational flight, the B-29 carrying Private First Class Edward R. Diegelman Jr, crashed shortly after takeoff. Six crew members, including Private Diegelman, were killed.

Word of Edward's death reached the Diegelman family two weeks later. The Pittsburgh Press reported that a Memorial Service would be held for Private Diegelman at St. Mark's Church on March 25. Three years later, on May 6, 1948, the Press reported that Edward's body was returned to the United States. Funeral services were held at Beinhauer Mortuary. Edward R. Diegelman Jr. was buried with Military Services conducted by the American Legion Post #540 at the Jefferson Memorial Park Cemetery in Pleasant Hills.

* Written by Clint Burton: May 15, 2018 *

The Brookline War Memorial

Listed below are many of the sons of Brookline who gave their
lives to preserve freedom and contain aggression during
World War I, World War II, Korea and Vietnam.

“It is foolish and wrong to mourn the men who died.
Rather, we should thank God that such men lived.”
General George S. Patton
 

World War I (1917-1919)

The World War I Memorial - Washington D.C.

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World War II (1941-1945)

The World War II Memorial - Washington D.C.

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Korean War (1950-1953)

Korean War Memorial - Washington D.C.

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Vietnam War (1965-1973)

Vietnam War Memorial - Washington D.C.

The Brookline Monument - The Cannon

<Brookline War Memorial> <> <Brookline History>