Click on Picture to enlarge

+ Larger Font | - Smaller Font

 

General Ken Taylor Laid To Rest At Arlington National Cemetery

Senator Stevens Commemorates Pearl Harbor Hero

WASHINGTON, DC – Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) today paid tribute to Brigadier General Ken Taylor on the floor of the United States Senate.  General Taylor was one of America’s first heroes of World War II and later served as Commander of the Alaska Air National Guard.  He passed away in November 2006 and was buried with full military honors at Arlington National Cemetery this afternoon.  

 

Senator Stevens attended the memorial ceremony after delivering the following statement:

 

    Sen. Ted Stevens [R-AK]: Mr. President, today I pay tribute to BG Ken Taylor, who will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery later this afternoon.

From his service as a pilot during World War II to his tenure as Commander of the Alaska Air National Guard, General Taylor was always a hero--in every sense of the word, and to all who knew and loved him.

As a young boy in Oklahoma, Ken set his sights on becoming a pilot. After completing high school and 2 years of college, Ken fulfilled his dream by joining the Army Air Corps.

In April 1941, newly commissioned as a second lieutenant, Ken received his first assignment. He was stationed at Wheeler Field, on the Hawaiian island of Oahu, as a member of the 47th Pursuit Squadron. And it was there, during one of the darkest days in our Nation's history, that Ken's bravery shined brightest.

Early in the morning on December 7, 1941, after a long night of poker, dancing, and a little drinking at the officer's club, Ken awoke to the sound of low flying Japanese aircraft fighters and bombers on course to attack the Navy's Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor.

Ken and fellow pilot George Welch, who was staying in a neighboring apartment, took immediate action. They called ahead to their air crew with instructions to load their P-40s with fuel and ammunition.

Both pilots hurriedly pulled their evening wear back on, and sped off in Ken's new Buick toward Haleiwa Field. Dodging Japanese strafing runs and driving at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour, they soon arrived at the airfield. The pair quickly strapped into their P-40 Tomahawks, which were fully fueled but only partially armed.

Outnumbered, outgunned, and without orders, the two pilots taxied to the runway intent on engaging the over 300 unchallenged Japanese aircraft.

Once airborne, Ken and George immediately came under fire. Ken later described the ensuing combat as "shooting fish in a barrel"--a definite understatement, as the Japanese shot back at their pursuers. At least one round hit Ken's cockpit, embedding shrapnel in his arm and leg.

Determined to stay in the air as long as possible, Ken and George attacked a group of bombers until they ran out of ammunition. The pair then landed at Wheeler Field to re-supply and refuel.

While an air crew rearmed their planes, the duo received a dressing down from a superior officer for taking off without orders. The officer also insisted they stay on the ground, but when another attack forced airfield personnel to scatter, Ken and George took the chance to get back into the fight.

With a fresh supply of .50 caliber ammunition, Ken positioned himself on the runway to take off just as a group of dive bombers flew overhead. He described his second takeoff to Army Times as follows:

I took off right toward them, which gave me the ability to shoot at them before I even left the ground. I got behind one of them and started shooting again. The only thing I didn't know at that time was that I got in the middle of the line rather than the end. There was somebody on my tail. They put a bullet right behind my head through the canopy and into the trim tab inside. So I got a little bit of shrapnel in my leg and through the arm. It was of no consequence; it just scared the hell out of me for a minute.

Before the last fires were extinguished from the remains of the Pacific Fleet in Pearl Harbor, Ken Taylor and George Welch had shot down at least eight Japanese fighters. Many believe their decision to take to the air prevented a full assault on Haleiwa, saving the field from sure destruction. By the end of the day, the two lieutenants had become America's first heroes of World War II--all while wearing tuxedo pants and a Hawaiian flower-print shirt.

For his tremendous courage under fire, Ken received the Distinguished Service Cross and a Purple Heart. But his service to this Nation was far from finished. Ken went on to fight at Guadalcanal, as commander of the 456th Fighter Squadron where he was credited with destroying another Japanese plane. After a broken leg ended his combat career, Ken returned stateside and served for 27 more years. He served in the Alaska Air National Guard.

In 1967, Ken became the Assistant Adjutant General for the Alaska Air National Guard. Before retiring in 1971, he was promoted to Brigadier General and served as the full Commander of the Air Guard.

In this capacity, Ken quickly distinguished himself as an able and respected leader. He worked closely with MG C. F. Necrason, then the Adjutant General of the Alaska National Guard, to save the Air Guard component in our State. Under Ken's direction, the reinvigorated Air Guard units provided rural Alaskans with access to health care, medivacs, and disaster relief services.

As a Senator for Alaska, it was my privilege to work with Ken on many occasions during this period. My wife Catherine's father, Bill Bittner, Sr., was a close friend of Ken's and his fishing partner. Bill and I often spent long summer days fishing with Ken and talking about World War II.

To this day, Ken's family has strong ties to Alaska. Ken's son, Ken Jr., followed in his father's footsteps and also became commander of the Alaska Air National Guard. They remain the only father and son in our Nation's history to have achieved such an honor. Also, Ken Sr.'s grandson, Eric Taylor, now serves in the Alaska Air National Guard with distinction.

The remarkable story of Ken Taylor reminds me of a statement once made by General George Marshall. Asked if America had a secret weapon to help win World War II, General Marshall replied in the affirmative. He said we had "the best darn kids in the world."

One can't help but wonder if these words were partly inspired by Ken Taylor, who, at age 21, exemplified great courage and bravery during the battle that drew America into World War II. For those who remember, his was one of the two planes that took off in the movie entitled "Pearl Harbor."

It gives me great pride to have known this man. On this solemn day when we put him to rest, let us all take a moment to reflect on the life--and honor the memory--of this great American hero.

I yield the floor.

 

Kenneth Marlar Taylor Brigadier General, United States Air Force

 

Brigadier General Kenneth M. Taylor (Retired) was one of the first U.S. pilots to see action in World War II. He destroyed four enemy aircraft on that day at Pearl Harbor, wearing a pair of tuxedo pants and uniform shirt he scrambled into from a dance the previous night. He continued to serve in the South Pacific, first as a pilot and Operations Officer, then as a Fighter Squadron, Group, and Base Commander.

After the war he commanded the 4925th Special Test Wing at Kirtland Air Force Base in New Mexico, before becoming Chief of the USAF Plans Branch at the Pentagon. Eventually he moved on to the Alaskan Air Command, becoming a Brigadier General before retiring from service in 1967.

 

Pearl Harbor hero pilot Taylor dies here at 86

SHERYL KORNMAN
Courtesy of the Tucson Citizen

A fighter pilot hero of World War II has died here.

 

Kenneth Taylor was 86.

The Army Air Corps Second Lieutenant was "comfortably asleep" in borrowed officers' quarters on a Hawaiian island one Sunday morning in 1941 after a "very entertaining" Saturday night out, his son Kenneth Taylor Jr. recalled yesterday.

The 21-year-old pilot, who'd never seen combat, awoke suddenly to the sound of the Japanese attack on U.S. military forces in Hawaii.

2nd Lieutenant Ken Taylor

Japanese pilots were strafing the officers' quarters where Taylor and 24-year-old pilot George S. Welch slept.

The first wave of Japanese fighter planes had wrecked most of the Army's air fleet on Oahu, dropping high explosives on two-thirds of the fleet of 140 P-40s and P-36s. And the U.S. Navy fleet in Pearl Harbor was under attack.

Taylor and the 47th Fighter Squadron of the 18th Fighter Group were based at Wheeler Army Air Field in central Oahu for gunnery practice. The Curtiss P-40 Warhawks he and Welch flew weren't armed or fueled.

Taylor's son said that was because the Army had been more afraid of sabotage than an attack by the Japanese. 
Taylor, dressed in tuxedo trousers from the night before, jumped out of bed to call the ground crew and asked it to arm and fuel their planes.

"While the crew got their two planes ready to go, George Welch and my dad got into my dad's Buick convertible and drove out to the airfield" at up to 100 mph.

Haleiwa Air Field was barely an airfield and more like "a strip of sod right off the beach," he said.

Welch and Taylor got into their aircraft "while a major jumped all over both of them for taking off without orders. He was busy chewing them out while crews put the ammo on board."

Taylor's P-40 "knocked over the ammunition dolly as he taxied out. My dad was firing his guns before he was off the ground. He took off into the tail of the Japanese airplanes."

"This is a fighter pilot's dream," his son said. "Pearl Harbor's been attacked, and everything out there is a target."

Taylor found himself "in the middle of an attack. Someone in the rear was attacking him, and he was wounded in the arm by a shell fragment. His squadron mate shot down the guy who was on his tail, otherwise he might not have survived that moment," the younger Taylor said.

Taylor went back up in the air after getting first aid. He and Welch are credited with a total of six downed Japanese aircraft.

"It was what he was supposed to do, what he was trained to do, what he had the temperament to do," his son said. Two weeks later, he turned 22.

"He didn't feel particularly heroic," his son said.

Taylor is credited with shooting down two Japanese fighter planes and with two unconfirmed hits. Welch is credited with four hits. The men received the Distinguished Service Cross for their valor but were denied the Medal of Honor because they went into combat without orders. Their actions were portrayed in the 1970 film "Tora! Tora! Tora!" 

Taylor is survived by his wife, Flora, whom he married in 1942; son Kenneth Taylor Jr. of Green Valley; daughter Jo Kristina Hartley of Washington state and three grandchildren
.
His remains were cremated and will be placed at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia, his son said. There will be no funeral service.

 

 

Kenneth Taylor; Flew Against Pearl Harbor Raiders

By Patricia Sullivan
Courtesy of the Washington Post
Sunday, December 3, 2006

Kenneth M. Taylor, 86, an Army Air Forces pilot who managed to get airborne under fire near Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, and shot down at least two Japanese attacking aircraft, died November 25, 2006, at an assisted living residence in Tucson. He had been ill since hip surgery two years ago.

He was a new Second Lieutenant on his first assignment, posted in April 1941 to Wheeler Army Airfield in Honolulu. A week before the Japanese attacked, his 47th Pursuit Squadron was temporarily moved to Haleiwa Field, an auxiliary airstrip about 10 miles from Wheeler, for gunnery practice.

After a night of poker and dancing at the officers' club at Wheeler, where the dress code required tuxedoes, 21-year-old Lieutenant Taylor and fellow pilot George Welch awoke to the sound of planes flying low, machine-gun fire and explosions. They learned that two-thirds of the U.S. aircraft at the main bases of Hickam and Wheeler fields were demolished or unable to fly.

They quickly pulled on their tuxedo pants and, while Welch ran to get Lieutenant Taylor's new Buick, Lieutenant. Taylor, without orders, called Haleiwa and commanded the ground crews to get two P-40 fighters armed and ready for takeoff.

Strafed by Japanese aircraft, the pair sped 10 miles from Honolulu to Haleiwa. At the airstrip, they climbed into their fighters, which were fueled but not fully armed, took off and soon attracted fire from the Japanese, who had not expected to be challenged in the air. Suddenly, they were in combat, two pilots against 200 to 300 Japanese aircraft.

Soon out of ammunition, Welch and Lieutenant Taylor landed at Wheeler to rearm. Senior officers ordered them to stay on the ground.

"He had been wounded by that point and was bleeding," said Lieutenant Taylor's son, retired Air Force Brigadier General Kenneth Taylor Jr. "But while ground crews were rearming the planes, and he was being lectured on his behavior, the Japanese attacked Wheeler again. That scattered the crowd, and [Lieutenant Taylor and Welch] took off. My dad actually hit some ammo carts as he was taking off and fired his guns before he was off the ground."

His father told the Army Times in 2001: "I took off right toward them, which gave me the ability to shoot at them before I even left the ground. I got behind one of them and started shooting again. The only thing I didn't know at that time was that I got in the middle of the line rather than the end. There was somebody on my tail.

"They put a bullet right behind my head through the canopy and into the trim tab inside. So I got a little bit of shrapnel in my leg and through the arm. It was of no consequence; it just scared the hell out of me for a minute."

Official records credit Lieutenant Taylor with two kills. His son noted that his father thought he had two more, although in the heat of the battle he didn't see the planes hit the ground, and potential witnesses were too busy to keep track. Welch was credited with four downed Japanese planes. American aircraft losses were estimated at 188 destroyed and 159 damaged, and the Japanese lost 29 planes.

For their service, Lieutenants Taylor and Welch were awarded the first Distinguished Service Crosses of World War II. Lieutenant Taylor later received the Distinguished Service Medal, the Legion of Merit, the Air Medal and other decorations. He also received a Purple Heart for his injuries.

A family friend, John Martin Meek, has been trying for the past five years to get the Distinguished Service Cross upgraded to a Medal of Honor, with a campaign at his Web site, http://www.pearlharborhero.net.

Born December 23, 1919, in Enid, Oklahoma, Kenneth Marlar Taylor was raised in Hominy, Oklahoma, and entered the University of Oklahoma in 1938. After two years, he quit school to enlist in the Army Air Corps.

His first commanding officer, retired General Gordon Austin, chose Lieutenants Taylor and Welch as his flight commanders shortly after their arrival in Hawaii.

"He was skillful as a pilot and a well-oriented officer," said Austin, now 93 and living in Alexandria. "You couldn't ask for a better flying officer in your squadron. He was willing to do anything, I'm sure. The enemy was all around and he was going after them."

After Pearl Harbor, the young pilot was sent to the South Pacific, flying out of Guadalcanal, and was credited with downing another Japanese aircraft. During an air raid at the base one day, someone jumped into a trench on top of him and broke his leg, which ended his combat career.

He rose to the rank of Colonel during his 27 years of active duty. He became commander of the Alaska Air National Guard and retired as a Brigadier General in 1971. He then worked as an insurance underwriter in Alaska, representing Lloyds of London, until 1985.

General Taylor split his retirement between Anchorage and Arizona. He was a technical adviser for the 1970 film "Tora! Tora! Tora!" in which his character was played by actor Carl Reindel. In the 2001 movie "Pearl Harbor," actor Ben Affleck played a character based on Gen. Taylor, although he was not consulted and considered the film "a piece of trash . . . over-sensationalized and distorted," according to his son.

"My dad was modest and retiring about all this," his son said. "I have picked up what I know about it in snippets over the years. He was always self-conscious about people making a big deal of it, and he wanted to be remembered as a good husband, a good provider and a good citizen."

Survivors, in addition to his son of Green Valley, Arizona, include his wife of 64 years, Flora Love Morrison Taylor of Tucson; a daughter, Tina Hartley of Mercer Island, Washington; and three grandchildren.

General Taylor was laid to rest in Arlington National Cemetery on 28 June 2007.