Colonel George Dijeau - Honorary Colonel

 

 


Squadron 188 is very sad to announce that Colonel George Dijeau, Honorary Colonel of Squadron 188 and WWII CAP Instructor Pilot passed away on December 26th. He was 99 years old.

Up until last year, Colonel Dijeau and his partner and fellow CAP member Harriet Dijeau would drive from Fremont to be with Squadron 188 for our All Hands meetings. Col Dijeau had a wealth of stories about being a CAP Instructor Pilot during WWII and subsequent post-war flying. One of his most harrowing stories was from 1953, and involved losing two of four engines in a DC-4 over the Pacific Ocean, ditching at sea, and being rescued six hours later. George accumulated 14,000 hours of flying and was flying up until age 95.

On April 7, 2009, Colonel George DiJeau's was promoted to Honorary Colonel at Amelia Earhart Senior Squadron 188. The ceremony started with a brief introduction by Lt. Col. Bob Gelinas, then Squadron 188 Commander. Colonel Ken Parris, California Wing Commander gave an overview about Col. DiJeau's remarkable contribution to our nations defense and how his actions aided in the advancement of CAP's wartime operational readiness.

Col. Parris and Maj. Kevin McDowell, Group 2 Commander proudly pinned Col. DiJeau with his new insignia. And Mr. Victor Uno, the Commissioner of Port of Oakland and business manager of the International Brotherhood Electrical Workers Local 595, where Col. DiJeau has been a member for 70 years, presented Col. DiJeau with an achievement plaque to commemorate this very special occasion.

This extraordinary event demonstrated that with hard work and dedication, CAP senior members have fantastic opportunities to excel and be recognized for their accomplishment. Col. George DiJeau's commitment to our nation's defense inspires us all to greater heights and this event was one of those rare lifetime experiences.
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Amelia Earhart Senior Squadron 188 9465 Earhart Rd, Oakland, CA 94621              Meeting Time: Tuesdays 7:30PM Contact Us at 510-21GOSAR