World War II Honoree

Kenneth N. Walker

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Denver, Colorado

Honored By

Douglas P. Walker

Relationship

Son

IN JUNE 1942, BRIGADIER GENERAL WALKER LEFT WASHINGTON, D.C FOR THE SOUTHWEST PACIFIC THEATRE. IN WASHINGTON HE HAD CO-AUTHORED THE FIRST AIR WAR PLAN (AWPD-I) THE PLAN FOR ORGANIZING, EQUIPPING, DEPLOYING AND EMPLOYING THE ARMY AIR FORCES TO DEFEAT GERMANY AND JAPAN. ON ARRIVING IN AUSTRALIA HE ESTABLISHED HEADQUARTERS IN TOWNSVILLE WHERE HE WOULD FIRST ORGANIZE AND THEN LEAD, AS ITS COMMANDER, THE 5TH AIR FORCE BOMBER COMMAND. AS A LEADING THEORIST OF STRATEGIC BOMBING, GENERAL WALKER REPEATEDLY ACCOMPANIED HIS B-24, B-25 AND B-17 UNITS ON BOMBING MISSIONS DEEP INTO ENEMY-HELD TERRITORY TO GAIN FIRST-HAND KNOWLEDGE OF COMBAT CONDITIONS, WHICH WOULD BE USED TO DEVELOP A HIGHLY EFFICIENT TECHNIQUE FOR BOMBING WHEN OPPOSED BY ENEMY FIGHTER PLANES AND BY ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE. DURING THIS PERIOD, HE RECEIVED THE SILVER STAR FOR GALLANTRY IN ACTION. HE WAS LOST ON JANUARY 5, 1943 WHILE LEADING A DAYLIGHT RAID OF JAPANESE SHIPPING IN SIMPSON HARBOR, RABAUL, NEW BRITAIN. HE WAS AWARDED THE CONGRESSIONAL MEDAL OF HONOR BY PRESIDENT ROOSEVELT IN APRIL 1943. ITS CITATION READS, IN PART, '...IN THE FACE OF EXTREMELY HEAVY ANTI-AIRCRAFT FIRE AND DETERMINED OPPOSITION BY ENEMY FIGHTERS. GENERAL WALKER LED AN EFFECTIVE DAYLIGHT BOMBING ATTACK AGAINST SHIPPING IN THE HARBOR AT RABAUL, WHICH RESULTED IN DIRECT HITS ON NINE ENEMY VESSELS. DURING THIS ACTION HIS AIRPLANE WAS DISABLED AND FORCED DOWN BY THE ATTACK OF AN OVERWHELMING NUMBER OF ENEMY FIGHTERS. HE DISPLAYED CONSPICUOUS LEADERSHIP ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY INVOLVING PERSONAL VALOR AND INTREPIDITY AT AN EXTREME HAZARD TO LIFE.' HE WAS ALSO A RECIPIENT OF THE LEGION OF HONOR AND THE PURPLE HEART. BOTH AWARDED POSTHUMOUSLY. HE REMAINS THE HIGHEST RANKING MISSING IN ACTION (MIA) LOST IN COMBAT FROM WWII.