Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless .380 ACP serial
number M136879
issued to Brigadier General LeGrande Albert "Pick" Diller (ca. 1945).
Col. LeGrande A. Diller, U.S. Army, S-6660, FA
Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless .380 ACP serial
number M136879
issued to Brigadier General LeGrande Albert "Pick" Diller (ca. 1945)
- General Diller's issued Colt Model 1908 .380 ACP pistol
with his medals. The medals along the back row are all
inscribed "LeGrande Diller" on the reverse.
Brigadier General
LeGrande Albert (Pick) Diller (1901-1987) -
(ASN: 0-15078)
LeGrande A. Diller was born in Tonawanda, Erie
County, New York on February 16, 1901. He was commissioned a
2nd Lieutenant of Infantry in the Regular Army on February
19, 1923 with date of rank back to January 5, 1923.
Diller graduated from Syracuse University in 1924 with a
Bachelor of Science degree in Chemical Engineering.
He was promoted to 1st Lieutenant on October 7, 1927. In
1928 he graduated from the Infantry School Company Officers
Course. On August 1, 1935 he was promoted to Captain. He
graduated from the Command and General Staff School in 1937.
Diller received a promotion to Major on July 1, 1940.
Lt. Gen. Douglas
MacArthur conducts a ceremony formally inducting the
Philippine Army Air Corps into
United States Army Forces in the Far East at Camp Murphy,
near Manila, Island of Luzon on 15 August 1941.
Of the four officers standing immediately behind MacArthur,
LeGrande A. Diller is on the far right.
At this date Diller held the rank of Major and was an Aide
and personal secretary to MacArthur.
Photo from "The War in the Pacific THE FALL OF THE
PHILIPPINES" by Louis Morton
Publisher: CENTER OF MILITARY HISTORY 1953
Diller had been serving on duty in the
Philippines since 1939, when, in 1941 he became one of
General Douglas MacArthur's personal Aides. On December 19,
1941 Diller received a promotion to the temporary rank of
Lieutenant Colonel (A.U.S.)
When MacArthur left the Philippines in the historical dash
of the small flotilla of four PT Boats in early 1942,
MacArthur was on PT-41 and Diller was on PT-35. Shortly
thereafter Diller was promoted to Colonel (A.U.S.) on March
23, 1942. He was assigned as a member of the General Staff
Corps on October 17, 1942.
The original burial place of LeGrande A. Diller is
unknown at this time. On May 26, 1989 he was interred in
Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery, San Antonio, Bexar
County, Texas Plot: 18 887.
Brig. Gen. LeGrande A.
Diller (Photographed in 1944 when he held the rank of
colonel.)
Associated Press Photo.
Diller remained with MacArthur during the war, receiving
a promotion to Brigadier General (A.U.S.) on January 9,
1945.
Photograph inscribed by General Douglas
MacArthur to Pick Diller:
"To Pick Diller
with the regards and
affection of his
old comrade-in-arms,
Douglas MacArthur
Tokyo, 1947"
The nature of Diller's duties while an Aide to MacArthur
is summarized in the following passage:
"Diller subsequently served as MacArthur's exclusive aide,
particularly in the area of press relations. He took pains
to protect MacArthur's prestige and image from damage and
was particularly careful to prevent information or rumors
unfavorable to MacArthur from leaking out. At the same time,
Diller
secretly managed MacArthur's private financial assets. In
sum, he held two posts concurrently as a private secretary.
Throughout the Pacific war Diller exercised his considerable
ability in human relations and encouraged rumors and a
public consensus that emphasized MacArthur's heroic status.
He accompanied MacArthur at the surrender ceremony on the
Battleship USS Missouri in September 1945. Immediately
afterward, he was promoted from aide-de-camp to military
secretary and served under MacArthur until June 1947." ¹
¹ MacArthur in Asia: The General and His Staff in the
Philippines, Japan, and Korea by Hiroshi Masuda Cornell
University Press, 2012
Diller was promoted to the permanent rank of Colonel in
the Regular Army on March 11, 1948. According to his
obituary he commanded Regiments in Europe from 1947 to 1954.
It was during those years he commanded the 22nd Infantry
Regiment, from approximately 1952-1954.
On September 30, 1954 he was retired from the Army with the
rank of Brigadier General. Among his decorations are the
Distinguished Service Medal, the Silver Star Medal and the
Legion of Merit. He received a disability in the line of
duty.
September 2, 1970 -
MacArthur Gift Admired - Gen. Douglas MacArthur presented a
copy of the official document
of he Japanese surrender to all his staff members. Gen, "Pick" Diller and
Mrs. Diller glance through their copy
while standing in front of a 600-year-old Japanese robe he
purchased in Tokyo.
[Tampa Bay Times (St. Petersburg, Florida) - 02 Sep 1970 Wed
- Other Editions - Page 20 (Staff Photo by Pat Piper)]
Jean MacArthur with
(left to right) Mr. and Mrs Jerry Farley,
Brig. Gen. LeGrande “Pick” Diller, Chas Mulcahy
and Henry Woyach at a reception June 10, 1979,
at the War Memorial Center’s Villa Terrace.
Photo from the
Veterans Community Relations Team (VCRT) Forum website
On September 2, 1987, exactly 42 years to the day of the
unconditional surrender by the Japanese at the end of WWII,
LeGrande A. (Pick) Diller, died of cancer at his home in
Reynolds, Ga.
[Source for some of the above content:
http://1-22infantry.org/commanders/dillerpers.htm]
Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless .380 ACP serial
number M136879
issued to Brigadier General LeGrande Albert "Pick" Diller -
left side showing "M" marked serial number indicating that
this pistol had the modifications made by Colt to prevent
jamming. Magazine is "M" marked as well. Note ordnance
mark on the frame to the right of the thumb safety.
Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless .380 ACP serial
number M136879
issued to Brigadier General LeGrande Albert "Pick" Diller -
Displayed with his medals. The Distinguished Service
Medal, Silver Star and Legion of Merit are all inscribed on
the back "LeGrande Diller". General Diller was
also the recipient of the Philippine Distinguished Service
Star, the third highest military decoration of the Republic
of he Philippines (the inverted five pointed star pictured
to the left of the American Defense Service Medal).
|
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Awarded for actions during the World War II
Citation: (Citation Needed) - SYNOPSIS: Colonel
LeGrande A. Diller (ASN: 0-15078), United States
Army, was awarded the Army Distinguished Service
Medal for exceptionally meritorious and
distinguished services to the Government of the
United States, in a duty of great
responsibility.
General Orders: War Department, General Orders
No. 41 (May 6, 1946)
Action Date: 1945 - 1946
Service: Army
Rank: Colonel |
|
Silver Star
Citation:
Action Date:
Service: Army
Rank: |
|
Legion of Merit
Citation:
Action Date:
Service: Army
Rank: |
|
Philippine Distinguished Service Star |
Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless .380 ACP serial
number M136879
issued to Brigadier General LeGrande Albert "Pick" Diller -
right side showing "U.S. PROPERTY" mark on frame.
Colt Model 1908 Pocket Hammerless .380 ACP serial
number M136879
issued to Brigadier General LeGrande Albert "Pick" Diller -
base plate of original magazine.
A collection of Japanese currency and military insignia
brought home by Brigadier General Diller following WWII.
Note the card in the lower right corner certifying the
presence of Brig. Gen LeGrande A. Diller, USA at the formal
surrender of the Japanese Forces to the Allied Powers, dated
September 2, 1945.
Brigadier General LeGrande "Pick"
Diller, 86 Dies
(April 15, 1889 - January 11, 1984)
September 5, 1987 -- LeGrande A. "Pick"
Diller, 86, a retired Army brigadier general who was one of
Gen, Douglas MacArthur's closest aides during World War II,
died of cancer Sept. 2 at his home in Reynolds, Ga.
Gen. Diller was sent to the Philippines in
1939 and Joined MacArthur's staff in February 1941. He
became the future five-star Army general's aide-de-camp and
press relations adviser, remaining on his staff throughout
the Pacific war and participating in many of its most
historic moments.
Japanese Surrender: USS Missouri
He accompanied MacArthur on his daring
PT-boat escape from the Philippines to Australia and ended
the war as a leading Army representative on the committee
that arranged the formal Japanese surrender aboard the
battleship Missouri in Tokyo Harbor on Sept. 2, 1945.
Japanese Surrender: Japanese Delegation
Japanese Surrender: General MacArthur and
the Allied Powers
Japanese Surrender: Japanese Delegation
signs the Surrender Document
Japanese Surrender: Admiral Chester Nimitz
signs the Surrender Document as the United States
Representative.
Japanese Surrender: Unconditional Surrender
of the Japanese Forces Signature Page
After the war, he remained with MacArthur,
who was commanding Allied occupation forces in Japan, and
spent two years as secretary of the Army general staff in
Tokyo. From 1947 to 1954, Gen. Diller commanded infantry
regiments in West Germany.
He retired for reasons of health in 1954 and
two years later moved to Florida. He earned a bachelor's
degree in fine arts at the Ringling School of Art in
Bradenton, Fla., and served on the school's board of
directors and did art work in Florida. He moved to Georgia
earlier this year.
Gen. Diller was a native of New York state
and earned his nickname laying rails in his youth. After his
1923 graduation from Syracuse University, he was
commissioned in the infantry.
His first wife, Harriett (Hat) Diller, died
in 1986. Survivors include his wife, Mary N. Diller, whom he
married in July 1987 and who lives in Reynolds; a son,
retired Army Col. Richard W. (Wells) Diller of Killeen,
Tex,; two brothers, retired Army Col. Everell, of Irving,
Tex., and Thurlow, of Syracuse; two sisters, Onnolee Mosher
of Tucson, and Rowena Diller of Syracuse; and a grandchild.
DILLER, LEGRANDE A.
BG United States Army
DATE OF BIRTH: 02/16/1901
DATE OF DEATH: 09/02/1987
BURIED AT: PLOT: 18 887
FORT SAM HOUSTON NATIONAL CEMETERY
|