Kenneth R. Powell
United States Air Force general From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
United States Air Force general From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Kenneth R. Powell (1915 – September 16, 1987) was a Major General of the United States Air Force.[1]
Kenneth R. Powell was born in 1915 on a small farm in McMinnVille, before moving to Bozeman, Montana after a short stay in Oregon. In 1921, his family moved to Tacoma, Washington. He graduated from Stadium High School in 1934. On the fall of 1934, he entered the Washington State University. He was a varsity letterman in track and field, a Reserve Officers Training Corps cadet, and was a member of the Scabbard and Blade, Crimson Circle, national senior men's honorary society, and Phi Delta Theta fraternity. He graduated in June 6, 1938 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and Psychology with a reserve commission as a second lieutenant.[1]
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During Pearl Harbor, Lieutenant Powell was a flight leader assigned to the United States Army Air Corps, 78th Pursuit Squadron at Wheeler Field in Hawaii. During the Japanese attack, all of his unit's aircraft were either damaged or destroyed. As a result, none of the members from his squadron were able to go airborne.[1]
By 1942, Powell had been put in command of the 46th Fighter Squadron on Canton Island. He was promoted to lieutenant colonel in 1943 and was appointed as the deputy commander of the 15th Fighter Group. On April 21, 1944, Colonel Powell organized and activated the 21st Fighter Group. This wing was set up to provide fighter protection for bombing raids against Japan. In February 1945, the 21st Fighter Group was directly resubordinated under the VII Fighter Command and was transported by ship to Iwo Jima, arriving at Central Field on March 25, 1945.
On the morning of February 26, 1945, the elements of the 21st Fighter Group were attacked by Imperial Japanese Army soldiers on the ground. Fighting alongside a contingent of U.S. Marines, the airmen killed 250 Japanese soldiers in tent-to-tent fighting, with fourteen airmen from the 21st Fighter Group killed and 50 wounded, including Colonel Powell. He 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. His wing was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their escort work of land-based fighters over the Japanese homeland.
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Between 1947 and 1949, Colonel Powell was the commander of the Air Force Public Relations School, where he organized and supervised the Comptroller Course for the Air Force Special Staff School located at Craig Field in Alabama. From 1949 to 1951, Powell was the deputy commandant of the Armed Forces Information School in New York. In 1951, he was appointed as Chief of the Airmen's Assignment Division in the Directorate of Military Personnel at the United States Air Force headquarters.
Between July 1955 and July 1959, Colonel Powell commanded the 10th Tactical Reconnaissance Wing at Spangdahlem Air Base, Germany. While in Germany, he was awarded the Honor Shield of the German State of Rhineland-Pfalz for his work promoting German-American relations. Powell was the first American military commander to receive the Honor Shield. The grand duchess of Luxembourg awarded Colonel Powell the Officer's Cross in the Order of LA Couronne de Chene, the country's highest decoration for foreign officers.
In 1959, Colonel Powell received the Legion of Merit from the United States Armed Forces. After Powell returned from Europe, he was assigned as the commander of the 1st Strategic Aerospace Division at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California.
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