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Santa Rosa Resident Civil Air Patrol Colonal Passes


  George E. Dijeau learned to fly in 1939 after taking a joy ride in a plane at the Golden Gate Exposition at Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay.  He got his pilots license and then his instructors rating the following year.  He joined the California Air Patrol and became the President of his squadron and when Congress enacted the Civil Air Patrol, he led a vote to merge his squadron into the CAP to get funding.
  George Edward Dijeau was Born in San Francisco on November 30, 1914.  He moved to Oakland with his parents in 1934 to 7321 Holly Street and went to Oakland Technical high School and there joined with the Navy ROTC.  After Graduating from High School, he joined the Navel Reserves and trained as a Rear Gunner in a Dive Bomber.  With his aquirered Flying Skills and instructors rating, when his squadron was activated, after Pearl harbor, he learned that they needed "Basic Flight Training Instructors" over at the Army Air Force.  He applied for and received a "special Order Discharge" from the Navy and was enlisted in the "Army Air Force" as a Basic Flight instructor where he was assigned to King City California for 16 months.  When he received his discharge from the Army Air Force, in 1944, he was made a First Lieutenant in the Civil Air Patrol and received traing in Texas for Sub Patrol and Target towing, for some months, and returned to California to Tow Targets and ferry aircraft for the CAP and remained on duty at the CAP Tow Target Unit NO. 15 at the San Jose Army Airfield in San Jose, California for the duration of the War.
  In his spare time, during the war, he worked on getting his instrument rating and his multi engine ratings with Western Airlines, so, at the end of the war he could fly the "DC-4" four engine aircraft.  He was hired by Orvis Nelson as one of the the original 13 pilots that started Transocean Airlines in 1946.  With Transocean, he flew charter flights in the Berlin Air lift, Evacuation of Chinese Nationalists and their Gold from mainland China to Formosa, and a lot of pasengers accross the Pacific to the far east.  He flew with Transocean from 1946 to October 1950 when he resigned Transocean to go to work as a full time captain with "California Eastern Airlines" and continued flying the Pacific until he ditched a DC-4 302 miles off the coast of California after losing two engines on the starboard side of his aircraft.  All aboard we rescued but the aircraft was lost after floating for 5 hours.
  All this time, he stayed active in the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and even when he left the Airlines in 1953 and went back to his first trade as an "Inside Wireman" with IBEW Local 595 in Oakland, California, he still flew private aircraft of all types even a sea plane.  He continued to support CAP whenever he was in the San Francisco Bay Area. 

Mr. Dijeau moved to Santa Rosa in 1982 and lived there with his wife Gayle Dijeau until her death in 2006.  He then returned to Union City, California.
 In a ceremony, held at the current CAP headquarters, in Oakland, California, in the old Transocean transit hotel and waiting/ departure terminal, George Edward Dijeau was promoted to Honorary Colonel at Amelia Earhart Senior squadron 188 on April 7, 2009.  He also received, the same day, an achievement plaque from the "Port of Oakland" for his continued service to the Bay Area Presented buy Victor Uno, the Commissioner of the Port of Oakland and the Business manager of "International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers" Local 595.  (George had over 75 years service with the IBEW local 595)
  George Edward Dijeau continued getting his flight physicals and passed his last one in February 2012 and Flew the first half of 2012 only one time because of the Cost of the Rental Aircraft and his Flying buddy's availability to "Go-Up".  He felt that at his age, he should not fly alone but he could still "slip" in a Landing or two and even flew a acrobatic bi-wing Stetson, with ARMY colors on Fathers Day 2009 and 2010.
   George Dijeau fell and broke his right hip in September 2012 at the age of 97 and after 4 months of recovery, began driving his car again, on a limited basis.  He then had another bad fall in April 2013 when he broke his left hip and was on his way to another recovery when he got D-DIFF infection and lost a lot of weight.  Right after that, he had another fall and hit his head, on November 10th 2013, and he never fully recovered and his health failed.  On December 26, 2013, Col. George Edward Dijeau passed to where no man will ever be able to take his "wings" away.
  Over the past 20 years he has told me so many stories that I wondered how could one man do all these things, yet, he would show me proof in documents, photos and letters to my Mom, my Grandmother and others over the years.  He has boxes of notes and letters that he left me that I can pass on to his Great Grand Children someday.
  Like so many others, who flew for their country as Belligerents, for the Civil Air Patrol during WW2,  he was still waiting for Congress to acknowledge his and their service during the war with the promised Congressional Gold Medal.  He never saw it, even though he wrote letters to his Congressman for years.  I do hope this next congress passes the Bill before there is no one left standing to receive it.

On January 10, 2014, George Edward Dijeau will return to Santa Rosa, California for the Final and Last time.  He will be buried at Calvary Catholic Cemetery at 1:00 PM.   

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Edward F. Dijeau,
Son of Col. George E. Dijeau   

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