General Draža Mihailovich: An American military marker honors the Serbian Chetniks who saved the "Forgotten 500" of WWII - Sgt. Curtis Diles of the USAF leaves a living legacy at his gravesite.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

An American military marker honors the Serbian Chetniks who saved the "Forgotten 500" of WWII - Sgt. Curtis Diles of the USAF leaves a living legacy at his gravesite.

Aleksandra's Note: Many of you who visit this website honoring General Draza Mihailovich and his Chetnik forces have become familiar with the wonderful family of Sgt. Curtis "Bud" Diles of the United States Air Force, a WWII veteran who died this year in September shortly after celebrating his 89th birthday. While living, Sgt. Diles dedicated his entire postwar life to honoring the legacy of the Halyard Mission rescue operation of WWII. In July 2014, his daughter Diane Hammond issued a public invitation to Serbians to send birthday wishes to Sgt. Diles for a very special tribute album of memories she was creating for her father. The response was overwhelming. Over 300 messages of love and gratitude and best wishes came in from Serbs all over the world. She was able to present this tribute book of love to her father in July 2014 and he was so gratified. I thank God that he lived long enough to see just how much we Serbians appreciated his love for us.

Below is a brief home video taken of Sgt. Diles and his daughter Diane, one of his four children, in which he describes who he feels are the "real heroes." The video was taken on the occasion of his 89th birthday in July after he received his gift of messages from the Serbians.

This week, the Diles family received the military marker that will be placed at his gravesite in Ohio, and it reflects the heart of a man who never forgot what the Serbians and the Chetnik forces of General Draza Mihailovich did for him in the scary days of 1944 when he was shot down by the Germans while flying over Serbia and subsequently rescued by the Serb patriots and returned home to America. After the rescue and successful evacuation from Nazi-occupied Serbia, he would live a long and rich life in America, marrying the love of his life, Inez, and enjoying a life-long marriage that lasted until death did them part and produced 26 beautiful children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

Though they are no longer with us, such men never die. They remain with us always and their legacy will continue to teach the future generations about the grand and glorious truths of history.

Sincerely,
Aleksandra Rebic
December 17, 2014

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The military marker that will be permanently placed at the gravesite of Sgt. Curtis "Bud" Diles, USAF. The marker reads:

"Curtis Diles, Jr. S. Sgt US Army Air Forces - World War II - Purple Heart-

July 15, 1925 - Sep 10, 2014 -

One of the Forgotten 500 rescued by Serbian Chetniks."

Photo courtesy of Diane Diles Hammond

Front of Diles gravestone. The engraving reads: "One Life - One Love"

Photo courtesy of Diane Diles Hammond.

Back of Diles gravestone.

Photo courtesy of Diane Diles Hammond.

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Video of Sgt. Curtis Diles and daughter Diane Diles Hammond in July 2014 posted by: "chuck Hammond"

http://youtu.be/kiqks3HVrpw

*****

If you would like to get in touch with me, Aleksandra, please feel free to contact me at ravnagora@hotmail.com

*****

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Aleksandra Rebic is an American of Serbian heritage born and raised in the Chicago area, the daughter of Serbian parents who emigrated to the United States from the former Yugoslavia and made America their home. She is a graduate of Northwestern University in Evanston, IL with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Communication Studies from the School of Speech.

Aleksandra has been an aspiring writer and student of history all of her life. While employed at a successful data processing company with both national and international clientele, she dedicates much of her free time to the freelance writing that she hopes will make a difference. Her focus and interests cover a wide range of topics, and her goal is to move and inspire people to see things from a different perspective. Aleksandra has been published in both Serbian and American newspapers and extensively online on the World Wide Web. She is co-author, with her father Rade Rebic, of the book “Dragoljub-Draza Mihailovich i Drugi Svetski Rat: Istorija Jedne Velike Izdaje” (“Dragoljub-Draza Mihailovich and the Second World War: History of a Great Betrayal”) in the Serbian language, and of a number of reports that she has issued through the years, including “Serbian 1,000 Points of Light,” “Stepinac,” “The Politics of Propaganda,” and “Jasenovac,” all in the English language.

Aleksandra has also established two websites online dedicated to educating both Serbs and non-Serbs about the true role that the Serbian people have played in world events throughout history. The two websites are:

http://www.heroesofserbia.com/

and

http://www.generalmihailovich.com/.

With her father, she has organized and hosted several successful events including the 1993 "Mihailovich 100th Birthday Celebration" and the 1994 "Halyard Mission 50th Anniversary Commemoration," both held in Chicago.

Her current project in progress, together with her father, is "Heroes of Serbia," a special tribute book honoring the pivotal role the Serbs played in the Allied victory in World War One. “Heroes of Serbia” will be published in both the English and Serbian language in 2015, with the ultimate goal of having the tribute published in multiple languages.

Aleksandra remains a loyal American patriot who believes in the Serbian cause. Her many other interests and passions include photography, travel, nature and the outdoors, entertainment (movies, music, and television), reading, spending quality time with family and friends, planning and enjoying outings and new adventures, and sharing her Christian faith.

She currently resides and works in the Chicagoland area and is available for speaking engagements.

E-Mail addresses:

ravnagora@hotmail.com

OR

heroesofserbia@yahoo.com

Postal address:

P.O. Box 95551

Hoffman Estates, IL 60195

U.S.A.

*****

Александра Ребић је Српкиња рођена и одрасла у Чикагу и околини, ћерка родитеља који су емигрирали у Америку и учинили је својим новим огњиштем. Завршила је студије на Нортвестерн Универзитету у Еванстону, Илиноис са дипломом у области комуникација.

Александра је још од ране младости амбициозни писац и озбиљан студент историје. Док је запослена у успешној компанији, која обрађује податке националне и интернационалне клијентеле, посвећује велики део слободног времена независном писању обимних осврта у нади да ће направити разлику. Њен фокус и интереси су многострани, а њен циљ је да покрене и инспирише људе да виде ствари из перспективе на коју нису навикли. Њени радови су штампани у српским и америчким новинама и обилно онлајн широм света. Она је ко-аутор са оцем Радом Ребићем књиге „Дража Михаиловић и Други светски рат – Историја једне велике издаје“ која је штампана на српском језику, и великог броја дописа, укључујући „Serbian 1,000 Points of Light,“ „Stepinac,“ „The Politics of Propaganda,“ и “Jasenovac,” (све на енглеском језику) које је самостално издала у протеклим годинама.

Александра је такође успоставила два вебсајта онлајн посвећених упознавању Срба и шире јавности о истинској улози српског народа у светским догађајима кроз историју. Два вебсајта су:

http://www.heroesofserbia.com/

и

http://www.generalmihailovich.com/.

Ca оцем, Александра је организовала и била домаћин неколико успешних српских прослава укључујући у 1993. години прославу „100-тог рођендана генерала Драже Михаиловића“ и у 1994. години „Комеморативну прославу 50-годишњице Халиард мисије,“ обе у Чикагу.

Сада, заједно са оцем, завршава рад на књизи „Хероји Србије,“ књизи којом одаје специјално признање кључној улози коју су Срби одиграли у савезничкој победи у Првом светском рату. Књига ће бити штампана на оба српском и енглеском језику ове 2015. године.

Она такоће са задовољством прихвата позиве да говори при разним функцијама и на скуповима.

Александра остаје веран амерички патриота који верује у српску ствар. Међу њеним многим интереса и страсти су фотографијa, путовања, природa, забава (филмови, музика, и телевизија), читање, активности у природи, време са породицом и пријатељима, планирање и уживање у излетима и новим доживљајима, и духовни живот у њеној Хришћанској вери.

Она у садашње време живи и ради y околини Чикагa.

E-Mail addresses:

ravnagora@hotmail.com

OR

heroesofserbia@yahoo.com

Postal address:

P.O. Box 95551

Hoffman Estates, IL 60195

U.S.A.

*****

General Draža Mihailovich

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

An American military marker honors the Serbian Chetniks who saved the "Forgotten 500" of WWII - Sgt. Curtis Diles of the USAF leaves a living legacy at his gravesite.

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