Warriors' watch riders show their admiration for member of greatest generation

Off the Wire
General News
Richard Diltz of Marietta, left, shakes hands with Warriors’ Watch Riders captain for the day, Mike Sterling of Woodstock, before Diltz is honored for his service in World War II and being a prisoner of war in Germany on Sunday afternoon in Marietta. Diltz’s daughter, Sandy Simpson of Marietta, smiles and watches.
Photo by Samantha Wilson


EAST COBB - Sunday began just like any other for 89-year-old Richard Diltz of east Cobb. Except by early afternoon, the former World War II POW was surrounded by more than 30 motorcycle riders and cheering family and friends celebrating his service to his country.

Diltz was surprised with a visit by Warriors' Watch Riders, a military support group that made a 10-minute police escorted motorcycle ride from Brewster's Bar and Grill on Canton Road to his doorsteps in an east Cobb neighborhood off Blackwell Road. The gray-haired former Army corporal smiled in amazement as the group conducted its presentation, that featured a plaque of appreciation, medal and American flag.

"It was tremendous. I'm completely overwhelmed," said Diltz afterwards. "I never realized that people could be so plentiful in my direction. I just think it was wonderful."

The throng of relatives, neighbors and Warriors' Watch Riders crowded around Diltz in a patriotic celebration of his war service. One-by-one, they went up to Diltz, hugged him and shook his hands, wrinkled from age and hard work. His family even brought out his three Purple Hearts, Bronze Star and other medals to show the crowd.

They were earned when the U.S. and its allies were in a fight to stop Nazi Germany from world domination. Diltz served with the Third Army when he was captured in 1944 during the fierce Battle of the Bulge, from which he carries shrapnel in his body to this day. He and 20 other GIs were kept for months as POWs in a barn near the Poland border.

The farm grew food for German soldiers and it was the job of the prisoners to plant and harvest it. Each day, they were given a potato and a pot of water for food. However, Diltz' skills afforded him the opportunity to do mechanical work and sometimes get rewarded in return. Like the time he was allowed to rig electricity inside the barn.

"I was treated pretty good," recalled Diltz, who'll turn 90 in September. "I kind of made my life a little easy by doing things like directing the other guys on how to behave. They made me the chief of them. It was just more or less waiting for the war to end."

The end came unexpectedly in May 1945. Diltz recalled the POWs going to work in the fields one morning and finding no guards in sight. When the men walked off the field, they were informed by passersby that the war was over. Just like that, they were free. They kept walking until they stumbled upon fellow American troops.

After the war, Diltz returned home to Cincinnati, Ohio, and eventually opened his own carpentry business. He was married to Marian Diltz for 70 years before she died in February 2009. His daughter, Sandy Simpson who lives across the street from him, said the Warriors' Watch Riders ceremony did much to lift her father's spirits.

"I can't tell you, it just took our hearts to see all those mean come roaring in," said Simpson, 62. "For dad it was amazing."

Al Minella, a Warriors' Watch Riders member, said it's important to honor those who have sacrificed so much to keep America safe. That's why the national organization exists and regularly conducts appreciation ceremonies including the one on Sunday, he said. A relative informed them about Diltz.

"This is just something we like to do to say thank you to veterans, regardless of what war it was or even if they weren't in wartime," he said. "Just to let them know that America hasn't forgotten what they volunteered to do or were drafted, to give us our freedoms."

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