Robert W. Deiz

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Robert W. Deiz
Born
Robert William Deiz

June 17, 1919
Portland, Oregon, US
DiedFebruary 9, 1984(1984-02-09) (aged 62)
Columbus, Ohio, US
Resting placeArlington National Cemetery
Alma materUniversity of Oregon
Occupations
  • Military officer
  • fighter pilot
Years active1942–1961

Robert William Deiz (June 17, 1919 – April 6, 1992) was a

99th Fighter Squadron, a component of the Tuskegee Airmen.[1][2] He was one of the 1,007 documented Tuskegee Airmen Pilots.[3]

One of the most famous of the

Tuskegee Institute in Tuskegee, Alabama, to create a portrait of famed scientist George Washington Carver.[6][7]

Early life, family, education

Deiz was born on June 17, 1919, in Portland, Oregon.[4][8] He was the son of William Carlos Deiz (10 Aug 1881 – 14 Feb 1950), a Jamaican immigrant, and Elnora Noni Deiz (3 Oct 1888 - 15 May 1975).[9] His younger brother, Carl Deiz, was a Lieutenant and a Documented Member of the Tuskegee Airmen who served in Tuskegee, Alabama.[10][8]

In 1943 before his deployment with the

99th Fighter Squadron, Deiz married Ruby Lee Butler Deiz (1920–2012). They had one son, Robert E. Deiz, and two grandsons.[8]

Deiz attended

track & field star, setting records in the 100-yard dash, the 220-yard race and relay races.[12][14] He also continued to play horn and double bass as a member of the University of Oregon Orchestra.[12]

Prior to World War II in the late 1930s, Diez enrolled in the Civilian Pilot Training Program at Swan Island in Portland, Oregon, receiving his pilot's license.[15][4][16]

Military career

After graduation from the

99th Fighter Squadron.[18]

During World War II, Deiz flew 93 missions.[19]

On January 27, 1944, Deiz shot down an enemy German Focke-Wulf Fw 190, earning his first kill as a combat fighter pilot.[20][21] The next day, Deiz earned his 2nd kill after shooting down another enemy German Focke-Wulf Fw 190.[22][23] After returning to the United States, Deiz became a B-25 aircraft instructor at Tuskegee.[24]

Deiz served as a model for the popular 1943 “Keep Us Flying”

Harmon Foundation's traveling exhibition in the 1940s.[25][26] Originally, Reyneau was in Tuskegee to create a portray of famed scientist George Washington Carver.[27][28]

After the war, Deiz served as a test pilot, becoming one of the first pilots to fly a jet aircraft.

U.S. Air Force assignments, Deiz continued to perform as a member of various community orchestras.[31]

In 1959, Deiz graduated from the University of Omaha.[32]

In 1961, Deiz retired from the

U.S. Air Force in Columbus, Ohio, with the rank of Major after 20 years in the military.[33]

Post-military life

After retiring from the military, Deiz worked in electronics at North American Aviation for three years. After working as a parole officer for three years, Deiz served as a parole supervisor for 17 years. He retired in the early 1980s.[34][35]

Diez lived in Columbus, Ohio, for 30 years until his death.[36]

Death

On April 6 

1992, Deiz suffered a heart attack and died after attending an American Cancer Society meeting in Columbus, Ohio.[37]

Legacy

In 2004, the Oregon Flying Hall of Fame posthumously inducted Diaz in a ceremony at the Evergreen Aviation Museum in McMinnville, Oregon. Deiz's widow, Ruby, and son represented him.[38][39]

See also

References

  1. ^ Click. "All-Negro Fighter Squadron Ready for Action: They're Smart, Tough and Rarin' to Go. Meet the Flying Black Panthers." Volume 6, Number 9http://www.oldmagazinearticles.com/draw_pdf.php?filename=Tuskegee_Fighter_Pilots.pdf
  2. ^ "Willie Ashley, Jr". CAF RISE ABOVE. 2020-07-01. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  3. ^ "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF Rise Above. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  4. ^ a b c "Robert W. Deiz". CAF RISE ABOVE. 2018-10-22. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  5. ^ Ligon (2019-11-11). "Who Is He? A Long-Delayed Search for the Identity of the Airman Portrayed in a World War II Poster". Rediscovering Black History. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  6. ^ ""Keep Us Flying" War Bonds poster". CAF RISE ABOVE. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  7. ^ Heller, Steven (2013-06-27). "When Black People's Images Are Used to Fight Colonial, Chinese, and Soviet Wars". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  8. ^ a b c "1992 obituary: Robert W. Deiz, WWII fighter pilot, dies at 72". oregonlive. 2014-12-03. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  9. ^ "Maj. Robert William Deiz". geni_family_tree. 1919. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  10. ^ Killen, John (2014-12-03). "Carl Deiz, Portland man who flew with Tuskegee Airmen, dies at 94". oregonlive. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  11. ^ "Franklin High School Alumni Association". franklinhighschoolalumni.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  12. ^ a b c d "1992 obituary: Robert W. Deiz, WWII fighter pilot, dies at 72". oregonlive. 2014-12-03. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  13. ISBN 978-1-57356-246-1
    .
  14. ^ "Franklin High School Alumni Association". franklinhighschoolalumni.blogspot.com. Retrieved 2024-03-06.
  15. ^ Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. "The Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor: Major Robert Deiz - 2004." https://www.evergreenmuseum.org/oregon-aviation-hall-of-honor Archived 2019-12-12 at the Wayback Machine
  16. ^ https://www.faa.gov/about/history/milestones/media/The_CAA_Helps_America_Prepare_for_World_WarII.pdf "The CAA Helps America Prepare for World War II." Theresa L. Kraus, FAA Historian.
  17. ^ "Tuskegee Airmen Pilot Roster". CAF RISE ABOVE. Retrieved 2023-08-30.
  18. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Robert W. Deiz." https://cafriseabove.org/robert-w-deiz/
  19. ^ The Oregonian. "Oregon History. 1992 obituary: Robert W. Deiz, WWII fighter pilot, dies at 72." By The Oregonian/Oregon Live. Updated Jan 10, 2019; Posted Dec 02, 2014. https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2014/12/1992_obituary_robert_w_deiz_ww.html
  20. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Robert W. Deiz." https://cafriseabove.org/robert-w-deiz/
  21. ^ CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE AIRMEN AERIAL VICTORY CREDITS. Dr. Daniel L. Haulman, Air Force Historical Research Agency, 600 Chennault Circle, Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6424. https://tuskegeeairmen.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/TAI_Resources_112-Victories.pdf
  22. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Robert W. Deiz." https://cafriseabove.org/robert-w-deiz/
  23. ^ CHRONOLOGICAL TABLE AIRMEN AERIAL VICTORY CREDITS. Dr. Daniel L. Haulman, Air Force Historical Research Agency, 600 Chennault Circle, Maxwell AFB, AL 36112-6424. https://tuskegeeairmen.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/11/TAI_Resources_112-Victories.pdf
  24. ^ Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. "The Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor: Major Robert Deiz - 2004." https://www.evergreenmuseum.org/oregon-aviation-hall-of-honor Archived 2019-12-12 at the Wayback Machine
  25. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Robert W. Deiz." https://cafriseabove.org/robert-w-deiz/
  26. ^ Rediscovering Black History. "Who Is He? A Long-Delayed Search for the Identity of the Airman Portrayed in a World War II Poster." Tligon. November 11, 2019. https://rediscovering-black-history.blogs.archives.gov/2019/11/11/who-is-he-a-long-delayed-search-for-the-identity-of-the-airman-portrayed-in-a-world-war-ii-poster/
  27. ^ CAF Rise Above. "“Keep Us Flying” War Bonds poster." https://cafriseabove.org/artifact/keep-us-flying-war-bonds-poster/
  28. ^ The Atlantic. "When Black People's Images Are Used to Fight Colonial, Chinese, and Soviet Wars: A new University of Pennsylvania exhibit reveals the ironies embedded in heroic portrayals of Africans and African-Americans in mass propaganda over the years." Steven Heller. JUNE 27, 2013. https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2013/06/when-black-peoples-images-are-used-to-fight-colonial-chinese-and-soviet-wars/277277/
  29. ^ The Oregonian. "Oregon History. 1992 obituary: Robert W. Deiz, WWII fighter pilot, dies at 72." By The Oregonian/Oregon Live. Updated Jan 10, 2019; Posted Dec 02, 2014. https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2014/12/1992_obituary_robert_w_deiz_ww.html
  30. ^ Distinguished Africans in Aviation. "Robert W. Deiz." Page 104. https://books.google.com/books?id=QAXWwVrc9TsC&dq=robert+w+deiz&pg=PA104
  31. ^ The Oregonian. "Oregon History. 1992 obituary: Robert W. Deiz, WWII fighter pilot, dies at 72." By The Oregonian/Oregon Live. Updated Jan 10, 2019; Posted Dec 02, 2014. https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2014/12/1992_obituary_robert_w_deiz_ww.html
  32. ^ Distinguished Africans in Aviation. "Robert W. Deiz." Page 104. https://books.google.com/books?id=QAXWwVrc9TsC&dq=robert+w+deiz&pg=PA104
  33. ^ The Oregonian. "Oregon History. 1992 obituary: Robert W. Deiz, WWII fighter pilot, dies at 72." By The Oregonian/Oregon Live. Updated Jan 10, 2019; Posted Dec 02, 2014. https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2014/12/1992_obituary_robert_w_deiz_ww.html
  34. ^ CAF Rise Above. "Robert W. Deiz." https://cafriseabove.org/robert-w-deiz/
  35. ^ The Oregonian. "Oregon History. 1992 obituary: Robert W. Deiz, WWII fighter pilot, dies at 72." By The Oregonian/Oregon Live. Updated Jan 10, 2019; Posted Dec 02, 2014. https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2014/12/1992_obituary_robert_w_deiz_ww.html
  36. ^ The Oregonian. "Oregon History. 1992 obituary: Robert W. Deiz, WWII fighter pilot, dies at 72." By The Oregonian/Oregon Live. Updated Jan 10, 2019; Posted Dec 02, 2014. https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2014/12/1992_obituary_robert_w_deiz_ww.html
  37. ^ The Oregonian. "Oregon History. 1992 obituary: Robert W. Deiz, WWII fighter pilot, dies at 72." By The Oregonian/Oregon Live. Updated Jan 10, 2019; Posted Dec 02, 2014. https://www.oregonlive.com/history/2014/12/1992_obituary_robert_w_deiz_ww.html
  38. ^ Evergreen Aviation & Space Museum. "The Oregon Aviation Hall of Honor: Major Robert Deiz - 2004." https://www.evergreenmuseum.org/oregon-aviation-hall-of-honor Archived 2019-12-12 at the Wayback Machine
  39. ^ Franklin High School Alumni Association. "Tuskegee Airmen Invited to Inauguration. Monday, December 22, 2008. https://franklinhighschoolalumni.blogspot.com/2008/
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