Morgan Hill – Morgan Hill Realtor Thom Dietmeier has dove into the USS Oriskany, the highly decorated Korean/Vietnam-era aircraft carrier that sits at a depth of 212 feet of water 25 miles off the Pensacola, Fla. coast.
Dietmeier, a Realtor with Alain Pinel Realtors in Morgan Hill, has been an avid diver since 1969. He was commissioned at the Pensacola Naval Air Station and then served as a division officer and officer of the deck aboard the Oriskany from early 1966 to late 1968.
On May 16 Dietmeier made the one-year anniversary dive to his old duty station on the ship’s bridge. To date he is the only ship’s company officer to dive on the ship. As part of his diving adventure, Dietmeier duplicated a photo underwater taken of himself on the bridge in 1966.
Dietmeier said it was a thrill to visit the bridge where he spent many hours during his two tours to Vietnam. He mounted a plaque during his dive commemorating his return visit.
Dietmeier said he became emotional when he saw the American flag and the POW/MIA flag hanging from the yardarm at 115 feet below the surface.
