Five Generations Surround Freeport Patriarch

by David Croyle

A Freeport family is celebrating five generations with the addition of a baby just five weeks ago.

Tony DiMeno, who will turn 91 in just a few weeks, gathered around his family last week for the celebration. Tony is the father of 66-year-old Dana Chiesa. Dana is the mother of 47-year-old Anthony Chiesa. Elizabeth Chiesa, 29, is the daughter of Anthony. Five weeks ago, she gave birth to her daughter, Genahcee Chiesa-White.

Anthony Chiesa, 47; Dana Chiesa, 66,(mother of Anthony), Elizabeth Chiesa (daughter of Anthony), Genahcee Chiesa-White (six-week-old daughter of Elizabeth), and Tony DiMeno (90).

DiMeno was born in 1925 across the river from Freeport in “Butler Junction” - a railroad depot that carried passengers in the Alle-Kiski Valley from Freeport to Butler. After attending Freeport High School, he went into Navy at the height of World War II in 1943.

At that time, Landing Ships that could carry tanks were being built in Philadelphia and southwestern Pennsylvania. DiMeno boarded the “LST” following his enlistment in Pittsburgh.

“We took it down the Mississippi and down to the Gulf (of Mexico) where they put the guns on it. Then we were on a training cruise. Then we went to the Panama Canal over to Gitmo Bay (Naval Base) and into the South Pacific. I was over there for a couple of years.

“We put MacArthur ashore there in Leyte in the Philippines. We were on our way up to Mindoro through the Mindoro Straights with a flow till of 50 ships. The LST I was on was sunk. It was December 28. We were attacked - it was the first time the Japanese used kamikaze pilots. They would just go right into the ships committing suicide.”

According to Navy records, The USS LST-460 sunk by kamikaze attack off Mindoro, Philippine Islands, on December 21, 1944. Just 7 days later, the USS LST-750 with DiMeno aboard, was sunk by Japanese aircraft off Los Negros, Leyte, Philippine Islands, on December 28, 1944.

DiMeno said when the attack occurred on his ship, the soldiers jumped into the waters.

“They had dropped a few of the lifeboats, but most of us just jumped off and hopefully got on a life raft that was there. Then we were picked up by an LCI (infantry landing craft gunboat)”

“Us survivors got sent back to the United States. Normally, we would have went to Australia for some leave time, then we would have been reassigned. That was about the time they were going to drop the atomic bomb. So I was sent back to the U.S. and never was sent back overseas because the war was over.”

DiMeno said it was unclear how many sailors died on the ship when it sank.

“That was a good question! I never really saw some of them again. They were picked up by different ships. I don’t know how many survived off of that ship but I know about 40 years after the war, we had a reunion and there were about 25 of us that made the reunion and we carried about 110 sailors on board. But nobody seemed to know exactly how many had died.”

DiMeno was just 22 years old when he returned from the war. Although he had various jobs, he worked for Metropolitan Insurance for most of his career, taking an early retirement in the early 1980’s.

It was then DiMeno started another career that brought him full circle back to his military days. In 1985, he became the Director of Veterans Affairs for Armstrong County. It was during his tenure of 17 years that he became instrumental in building the bronze veteran wall outside the court house in addition to streamlining procedures and assisting veterans with getting military benefits. He retired from the position in 2001.

As he held his great-great-grandaughter, DiMeno reflected over his life.

“It’s unbelievable! I never expected that I would reach the age of 90. I had a brother that lived to 86 and I thought he was old. He was 15 years older than I was and a sister that made it to 90. But I never thought that I would live to see five generations.”

DiMeno, who is a senior member at St. Marys in Freeport, still maintains his own home and works out at the YMCA three times per week. He attributes his excellent health to his spiritual heritage.

“The Lord has been good to me. He’s given me good health,” he said.