Kenneth R. Powell

Commander Ken Powell, 46th Fighter Pursuit Squadron Commander, 1942-43

Kenneth R. "Ken" Powell (1915 - September 16, 1987) was born in McMinnville, Oregon. He entered flying school in the fall of 1939 and graduated from Kelly Field in July 1940. Served during World War II at Canton, Battle of Makin, and Iwo Jima. He retired Aug. 1st, 1968 as a Major General.

Early life

After birth in 1915 and a short stay in Oregon, his parents moved to Bozeman, Montana. Then in 1921 his family again moved with him to Tacoma, Washington. In Tacoma is where he completed grammar school and graduated from Stadium High School in 1934. That fall he entered Washington State University located at Pullman, Washington. He was a varsity track letterman, an advanced ROTC candidate, and was a member of Scabbard and Blade, Crimson Circle, national senior men's honorary society, and the Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He graduated Washington State University on June 6, 1938. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant and joined the military.

Military Service

Education and Early Military Service

• Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology and Psychology, He graduated June 6, 1938
• Flight School, Kelly Field, He graduated in July 1940.
• Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, He graduated July 1945.
• Royal Air Force Staff College, Bracknell, England, He graduated on May 1947.^[1]
• Air War College, He graduated in 1952.

World War II

Pearl Harbor

During Pearl Harbor, Lieutenant Powell's first assignment with the United States Army Air Corps was to the 78th Pursuit Squadron located at Wheeler Field in Hawaii. On December 7 during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, Lt. Powell was a flight leader, however, all his squadron's aircraft were either damaged or destroyed during the attack. Therefore, no members of his squadron were able to get airborne during the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Central Pacific

In 1942 he was in command of the 46th Fighter Squadron on Canton Island. Then in 1943 he was promoted to lieutenant colonel and was assigned as the deputy commander of the 15th Fighter Group. Beginning on April 21, 1944, Colonel Powell organized and activated the 21st Fighter Group. The 21st Fighter Group was set up to provide fighter protection for bomber raids against Japan in World War II.

Upon arriving at Iwo Jima, on the second day on the island and early in the morning, Colonel Powell's group was greeted by a "Bonzai" attack in their tent area by the Japanese. Several pilots died during the attack. Even Colonel Powell was injured by a hand grenade and was evacuated to a military hospital on Guam. He returned to his post as soon as he recovered from his injuries. After returning he participated in several escort missions over Japan. Eventually his unit was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their escort work of land-based fighters over the Japanese homeland. They were the first to do so.

Post War Service

Between 1947 to 1949 he was the commander of the Air Force Public Relations School and organized/supervised the Comptroller Course at the Air Force Special Staff School located at Craig Field in Alabama. Next, from 1949 to 1951 Powell was the deputy commandant of the Armed Forces Information School in New York. Next, Colonel Powell was assigned as chief of the Airmen's Assignment Division in the Directorate of Military Personnel, Headquarters of the U.S. Air Force in 1952.

Then, between July 1955 to July 1959, Colonel Powell commanded the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing of Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. While in Germany on his overseas tour, he was awarded the Honor Shield of the German State of Rheinland-Pfalz for his work in promoting German-American relations. This was the first time the Honor Shield was awarded to an American military commander. The grand duchess of Luxembourg awarded Colonel Powell their highest decoration for foreign officers, the Officer's Cross in the Order of LaCouronne de Chene.

In 1959 Colonel Powell received the Legion of Merit. The citation stated in part: "Colonel Powell demonstrated outstanding qualities of leadership, diplomacy and statesmanship in establishing and directing an exceptional program of international friendship and understanding with the populace of the Federal German Republic and the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. His efforts have greatly enhanced the prestige and good will of the United States in this most important area." ^[2]

After he returned from Europe, he was assigned as the commander of the 1st Strategic Aerospace Division at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.

Assignments

• 15th Infantry, Fort Lewis, Washington, 1938
• 78th Pursuit Squadron, Wheeler Field, Territory of Hawaii
• 46th Fighter Squadron, Canton Island
• 15th Fighter Group
• 21st Fighter Group, June 15, 1944 – October 10, 1946
• Dover Air Base, Delaware, Commander, 1946
• Air Show Unit, Tactical Air Command, Langley Field, Virginia, 1946
• Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany, July 1955 - July 1959
• Vandenberg Air Force Base, California, 1961
• Commander, 819th Strategic Aerospace Division, Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, 14 May 1964 - 2 July 1966^[3]

Rank History

• Second Lieutenant, June 6, 1938
• Lieutenant, 1940
• Captain, Between 1940 and 1942
• Major, 1942
• Lieutenant Colonel, 1943
• Colonel, Between 1944 and 1961
• Brigadier General, March 1961
• Major General, unknown^[3]

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

External links

Aerospace Defense Command (ADC) Bases CONUS Amarillo Beale Charleston Davis-Monthan Dobbins Dover Dow Duluth Eglin Edwards Ellington Ellsworth England Ent Ethan Allen Fairfax Fallon Fort Heath Fort Lee Geiger George Glasgow Grand Forks Grenier Griffiss Gunter Hamilton Hancock Homestead Hurlburt Hunter Imeson Key West Kincheloe Kingsley Kirtland Lackland Laredo Larson Luke MacDill March Malmstrom McCoy McChord McClellan McGhee Tyson McGuire Minneapolis-St. Paul Minot Mitchel New Castle Niagara Falls Norton O'Hare Otis Oxnard Paine Perrin Peterson Pittsburgh Portland Presque Isle R.I. Bong Richards-Gebaur Robins K.I. Sawyer Selfridge Seymour Johnson Sioux City Stead Stewart Suffolk County Tinker Travis Truax Tyndall Vandenburg Vincent Walker Webb Westover Wright-Patterson Wurtsmith Youngstown Overseas Ernest Harmon Frobisher Bay Goose Bay Keflavik McAndrew Pepperrell Thule Stations CONUS Adair Aiken Almaden Alpena Antigo Arlington Heights Baker Bedford Bellefontaine Belleville Benton Blaine Brookfield Brunswick Bucks Harbor Burns Calumet Cambria Cape Charles Cape Cod Carmi Caswell Chandler Charleston Cheyenne Mountain Claysburg Clear Colville Condon Continental Divide Cottonwood Cross City Crystal Springs Curlew Custer Cut Bank Dallas Center Dauphin Island Dickinson Duncanville Eldorado Empire Finland Finley Flintstone Fordland Fort Fisher Fort Lee Fortuna Gettysburg Grand Marais Grand Rapids Guthrie Hanna City Havre Highlands Houma Hutchinson Joelton Keno Killeen Kingman Kirksville Klamath Lake Charles Lake City Las Cruces Las Vegas Lewistown Lockport Lufkin Lyndonville Madera Makah Mica Peak Miles City Mill Valley Minot Montauk Moriarty Mount Hebo Mount Laguna Mount Lemmon Naselle North Bend North Charleston North Truro Oklahoma City Olathe Omaha Opheim Osceola Othello Owingsville Ozona Palermo Point Arena Port Austin Port Isabel Pyote Red Bluff Rochester Rockport Rockville (Indiana) Roslyn Rye Saint Albans San Clemente Island Santa Rosa Island Saratoga Springs Sault Ste Marie Shemya Snelling Snow Mountain Sweetwater Texarkana Tierra Amarilla Thomasville Tonopah Topsham Two Creeks Wadena Walnut Ridge Watertown Waverly West Mesa Willow Run Winnemucca Winslow Winston-Salem Woomera Yaak Zapata Overseas Armstrong Baldy Hughes Beausejour Cape Makkovik Cartwright Cut Throat Island Elliston Ridge Fox Harbour Hofn Hopedale Kamloops La Scie Langanes Latrar Melville Puntzi Mountain Ramore Red Cliff Rockville Saglek St. Anthony Saskatoon Mountain Sioux Lookout Spotted Island Stephenville Air Defense units Forces Central Air Defense Eastern Air Defense Iceland Western Air Defense First Fourth Tenth Fourteenth Air Divisions 8th 9th 20th 21st 23d 24th 25th 26th 27th 28th 29th 30th 31st 32d 33d 34th 35th 36th 37th 58th 64th 73d 85th Sectors Albuquerque Bangor Boston Chicago Detroit Duluth Goose Grand Forks Great Falls Kansas City Los Angeles Minot Montgomery New York Oklahoma City Phoenix Portland Reno Sault Sainte Marie San Francisco Seattle Sioux City Spokane Stewart Syracuse Washington Wings Fighter 1st 4th 23d 32d 33d 50th 52d 56th 78th 81st 325th 328th 507th Detection and Control 71st 73d 551st 552d Air Defense 46th 4620th 4621st 4622d 4624th 4625th 4627th 4628th 4683d 4700th 4702d 4703d 4704th 4705th 4706th 4707th 4708th 4709th 4710th 4711th 4750th 4751st 4752d 4756th 4780th Groups Fighter 1st 4th 14th 15th 23d 32d 33d 50th 52d 53d 54th 56th 57th 78th 79th 81st 82d 84th 325th 326th 327th 328th 329th 337th 343d 355th 408th 412th 414th 473d 475th 476th 478th 507th Air Defense 10th 500th 501st 502d 503d 514th 515th 516th 517th 518th 519th 520th 521st 525th 527th 528th 529th 530th 533d 534th 564th 566th 567th 568th 575th 637th 665th 678th 692d 701st 751st 762d 765th 778th 780th 827th 858th 4606th 4620th 4676th 4700th 4721st 4722d 4727th 4728th 4729th 4730th 4731st 4732d 4733d 4734th 4735th 4750th 4756th Aircraft Control & Warning 503d 505th 540th 541st 542d 543d 544th 545th 546th 563d 564th 565th 566th Squadrons Aerospace Defense Command Fighter Squadrons Aircraft Control and Warning Squadrons Major weapon systems Electronic TB-29 EB-57 EC-121 Fighters Propellor: F-47 F-51 P-61 F-82 Subsonic Jet: P-80 F-84 F-86 F-89 F-94 Supersonic Jet: F-101 F-102 F-104 F-106 Missiles AIM-4 AIM-26 AIR-2 CIM-10 Ships Guardian Interceptor Interdictor Interpreter Investigator Locator Lookout Outpost Pickett Protector Scanner Searcher Skywatcher Tracer Watchman Vigil Texas Towers Texas Tower 2 Texas Tower 3 Texas Tower 4 Miscellaneous Air Defense Command Emblem Gallery (on Wikimedia Commons) General Surveillance Radar Stations