World War II Honoree

Kenneth Clarence Montgomery

Branch of Service

U.S. Marine Corps

Hometown

Houston, Texas

Honored By

Orville L. Kline

Rank: Staff Sergeant. Inducted into the United States Marine Corps August 28, 1941 at Dallas, Texas, with recruit training assigned to the Eleventh Recruit Battalion Training Regiment; Marine Corps Base in San Diego, California. Upon his graduation from Boot Camp, he was selected to attend Sea Duty AKA: Soldiers of the Sea also; assigned to a Detachment Location: San Diego. Following the training, he was transferred to the USS Bunker Hill Aircraft Carrier, CV-17 for duty with the Fighter Attack Squadron 451 (VMFA-451). On March 21, 1945 the Seagoing Airbase and her shipmates, along with an armada of U.S. Battleships, Destroyers, Cruisers and other Warships, arrived offshore of Okinawa in support of the impending invasion (Battle Dates: April 1–June 22, 1945). The Carrier on the eleventh of May was attacked by two Imperial Japanese Kamikaze Zero Fighters. The first Pilot crashed into a flight of fully-armed and fueled aircraft waiting for take-off, and the second crashed into the flight deck after releasing his ordnance. The attack inflicted a tremendous amount of damage, and the crew began the long battle to save their ship and shipmates. Reported missing in action or buried at sea on the day of the attack. In remembrance of the brave, his name is permanently inscribed in the tablets of the missing, memorialized at Honolulu Memorial Location: Honolulu, Hawaii. This American Patriot was awarded the Purple Heart posthumously, for his ultimate sacrifice in defense of his country, and a Marine Corps Commendation Ribbon.