World War II Honoree
World War II Veteran
Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe
Branch of Service
U.S. Army Air Force
Hometown
Biloxi, Mississippi
Honored By
Pearl Thomas
He enlisted in the US Navy and served from 1942-1943. Then he became a fighter pilot with the US Marine Corps from 1943-1945. He was a 1st LT with the VMF-323 Marine Squadron, known as the "Death Rattlers." On April 22, 1945 at Okinawa, he shot down five Japanese Kamikazes, becoming an ace in a single day. On April 28 he shot down another two enemy planes bringing his total victories to seven which made him the highest scoring ace in Okinawa at the time. Received the Navy Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross, Air Medal with 5/16 inch star, Navy Presidential Unit Citation, Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal with three battle stars, World War II Victory Medal and Congressional Gold Medal.