World War II Honoree

Kenneth E. Pierce

Branch of Service

U.S. Army Air Force

Hometown

Brownsville, Vermont

Honored By

Jerry Penry

RANK: 2ND LIEUTENANT. SERVED AS A NAVIGATOR IN A B-17G ‘FLYING FORTRESS’ BOMBER, WHO WAS KILLED FEBRUARY 25, 1944 DURING AN ATTEMPTED TAKE-OFF FROM THE GRAND ISLAND, NEBRASKA ARMY AIR FIELD. SHORTLY AFTER BECOMING AIRBORNE IN THE EARLY MORNING DARKNESS HOURS, THE PILOT CONTINUED TO FLY ON VISUAL FLIGHT RULES RATHER THAN INSTRUMENTS. THE AIRCRAFT HAD FAILED TO GAIN SUFFICIENT ALTITUDE AND CRASHED LANDED ON ITS BELLY, SKIDDING FOR SOME DISTANCE, EXPLODING UPON IMPACT AFTER STRIKING A BERM. NINE CREWMEMBERS WERE FATALLY INJURED AND THE PILOT SURVIVED WITH ONLY MINOR INJURIES. THE BOMBER AND CREW WERE PART OF A LARGE FORMATION OF B-17’S THAT HAD TAKEN-OFF FROM GRAND ISLAND ON A CROSS-COUNTRY DEPLOYMENT MISSION TO AN OVERSEAS COMBAT THEATER.