Henry R. Kenyon, Jr.

Henry Russell Kenyon, Jr., was born 4 February 1916 in Bronxville, New York, and enlisted in the United States Navy on 5 November 1940. He was discharged in 1941 to accept an appointment as Aviation Cadet and was commissioned Ensign on 4 August 1941. After undergoing advanced flight training Kenyon joined Torpedo Squadron 8 (VT-8) for duty in the Pacific.

Kenyon flew as a member of that squadron from the famous aircraft carrier USS Hornet (CV-8) in the Battle of Midway on 4 June 1942. The squadron took off to attack the enemy fleet without fighter cover in the face of murderous opposition. Knowing that they had insufficient fuel to return to the carrier. Kenyon and his comrades attacked gallantly until all were shot down. Ens. Kenyon was presumed dead 5 June 1942 and was awarded the Navy Cross posthumously for his heroic actions.

Namesake

In 1943, the destroyer escort USS Henry R. Kenyon (DE-683) was named in his honor.

References

This article incorporates text from the public domain Dictionary of American Naval Fighting Ships. The entry can be found here.