Research confirms Dietrichs' father served on USS Pittsburgh (CA-72) during World War 2

George J. Dietrich

I have always been careful to uphold the service history of Dietrich's father, George Joseph Dietrich.  But Douglas' pathological lying with regard to his father's military service is legendary.  His claim that his father served in the Navy in China with Yangtze gunboats before WW2 is untrue.  As my findings of the US Census record of 1940 show.   Douglas claims that he retired in 1966 as a Chief Petty Officer 

(E-7) are also untrue.

George J. Dietrich served honorably from June 1941 to June 1965 and retired at the rank of Petty Officer 1st Class (E-6)

I requested and received releasable information from his father's records under the FOIA  in 2017. Using this information I was able to piece together his WW2 service history.  I have posted these findings, as well as a comparison with Dietrichs' claims on my blog 

https://rkcolejr.blogspot.com/2019/01/george-dietrich-ribbons.html where I specifically noted his being awarded the Asiatic Pacific Campaign Medal - WWII Ribbon (2 Stars).  

The award of this medal indicated participation in two separate engagements in the Pacific Theater where his unit (ship) had participated.  A listing of those engagements and ships was not provided in the FOIA release.  George Dietrichs' Official Military Personnel File (OMPF) is currently not available, due to different release procedures applying to rules for "next of kin" and for records 62 years and older.

https://www.archives.gov/personnel-records-center/ompf-access#information

* Records are accessioned into the National Archives, and become archival, 62 years after the service member's separation from the military. This is a rolling date; hence, the current year, 2019, minus 62 years is 1957. Records with a discharge date of 1957 or prior are archival and are open to the public. Records with a discharge date of 1958 or after are non-archival and are maintained under the Federal Records Center program. Non-archival records are subject to access restrictions

https://www.archives.gov/st-louis/military-personnel-archival


List of vessels Dietrich claims his father served before, during and after WWII:

Yangtze River Patrol gunboats  (1939-1941)
USS Franklin (CV-13)  (WWII)
USS Cowpens (CVL-25)  (WWII)
USS Essex (CV-9) (WWII)
USS Pittsburgh (CA-72)  (WWII)
USS Oriskany (CV-34)  (1966 fire)

(From NA-Form 13164, NPRC 2017)

While researching for any information regarding his grandfather, (using Newspapers.com) I thought I would take advantage of the free trial to see what I could find about his father.  I was able to find two newspaper clippings from the Rochester, NY Democrat and Chronicle dated 15 and 17 July, 1945 which mentioned George J. Dietrich and another Rochester, NY sailor as having served on the USS Pittsburgh  (CA-72). 

Both articles state that S1/c George Dietrich was a cook who had been serving aboard the USS Pittsburgh since its commissioning in November 1944.  The article stated: "George J. Dietrich is known to be as good as his word."  And was able to send his parents a cleverly disguised message in a ship magazine after the vessel had been towed to Guam.

I also found an article dated 22 July, 1934 in which Dietrichs' father is pictured with his younger brother, William E. Dietrich who later served in the US Army and was discharged as a Sgt. in 1945 "after 35 months of duty in the European Theater."

George Dietrich (then age 15) is pictured on the far left his brother is 3rd from left.  

Dietrichs' father was discharged in 1945 at the end of the war, but re-enlisted to serve a total of 24 years in the US Navy.