COMMENTS & NOTES
MEMO 1:
CREW
2ND LT HOWARD R. SCHULTE P KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
F/O RICHARD P. "Pappy" KEIRN CP POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND A/C #43-38043
2ND LT JEROME H. HUTCHESON NAV POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND MACR #8814, Micro-fiche #3235
2ND LT KENNETH R. SUMMERS BOM POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
S/SGT LESTER S. SWINK ROG POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
S/SGT CARL H. HARRE TTE POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
SGT GEORGE H. BERG BTG KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
SGT WALTER BUDZISZEWSKI WG KIA 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
SGT DONALD S. GARNER WG RFS DUE TO UNCONTROLLABLE AIR SICKNESS/ OVER GARNER'S OBJECTIONS
SGT OTTO REICHL TG POW 11 SEP 44 RUHLAND
350TH SQDN…CREW, AS ABOVE, JOINED THE 100TH ON 2 AUG 1944.
Missions of Crew:
Date Last Name Initial Rank Position Aircraft Nbr Target
1. 8/14/1944 SCHULTE H.R. LT P 31220 LUDWIGHSAVEN (OIL)
2. 8/15/1944 SCHULTE H.R. LT P 38043 VENLO
3. 8/24/1944 SCHULTE H.R. LT P 31991 RUHLAND (OIL)
4. 8/26/1944 SCHULTE H.R. LT P 97924 BREST
5. 8/27/1944 SCHULTE H.R. LT P 97924 BERLIN (RECALL)
6. 9/3/1944 SCHULTE H.R. LT P 38043 BREST
7. 9/5/1944 SCHULTE H.R. LT P 38043 STUTTGART (AERO ENGS)
8. 9/11/1944 SCHULTE H.R. LT P 38043 RUHLAND (OIL)
S.O.C. page 79 says Schulte was killed by a 20mm shell.
THE CP IS THE 100TH'S WELL KNOWN COL RICHARD P. KEIRN .
COLONEL RICHARD P. KEIRN
A POW IN SOUTHEAST ASIA FOR SEVEN YEARS; THE ONLY 100TH VETERAN TO BE A POW IN TWO WARS. COL KEIRN REMAINED IN THE SERVICE AND RETIRED AS A COLONEL. HE CONDUCTED HIMSELF IN A ELEGANT AND COURAGEOUS MANNER THROUGHOUT HIS COMBAT AND THE ORDEAL OF IMPRISONMENT IN GERMANY AND SOUTHEAST ASIA. HIS SPARKLING OUTLOOK ON LIFE IS NOT DIMMED BY THE GREAT SACRIFICES HE HAS MADE FOR HIS COUNTRY. COL KEIRN IS HELD IN HIGH ESTEEM BY ALL WHO KNOW HIM AND IS PROUDLY CLAIMED BY THE 100TH'S .
Letter from Lt. Jerome H. Hutcheson, Navigator, dated 5 Aug 1945…
". . . From the moment of the first fighter attack, the pilot, Lt Howard R. Schulte, was unconscious, presumably from lack of oxygen. . . After continuing flying, the co-pilot, who was in command of the ship, decided that further attempts to put out the fire and return of our base would be of no avail and the order to bail out was given. The pilot had returned to consciousness, stating he was all right and unwounded to the co-pilot's inquiry. He immediately confirmed the co-pilots decision to abandon ship. I bailed out later. The Bombardier, Lt. Kenneth R. Summers later told me that he saw the pilot, Lt Schulte, and believed him to be the last person aboard the aircraft.. When last seen he was flying the aircraft at 7500 feet altitude going down fast. One wing was a mass of flames due to flak damage. He saw no more chutes come from the plane. Lt Summers believes that Lt Schulte did not bail out or if he did his chute did not open. He may have decided to crash land the aircraft."
---> TAPS REPORT
VETERAN: Richard P Keirn
DATE OF DEATH: 5/25/2000
FAMILY CONTACT: This came from another vet.
To Whom it may concern:
it is with a sad heart that I must inform you of the death of my Uncle, Jerome H. Hutcheson:
HUTCHESON, Jerome H. 9/11/1944
B-17G 43-38043 "C" Low Lead # 6
MIA 350th Sq LN-Y 350th Sq LN-T A/C name:
Rank: LT Squadron: 350TH Position: NAV POW Cause: EAC - FLAK - Fire Target: Ruhland Aircraft: (43-38043)
He passed 7/May/2009, In Oxnard California. He will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery at a yet to be set date.
From: ukisok2@yahoo.com
To: mpfaley@aol.com
Sent: 6/24/2009 9:00:08 A.M. Pacific Daylight Time
Subj: POW
My husband Jerome H Hutcheson passed away last month. He was a member of the 100th Bomber Group, he was a navigator who was shot down on November 11th 1944 and was held captive in the Czech Republic as a POW. I have found his communications with Jan Zdiarsky and I wanted to let you know that he did pass away at the age of 85. He was such a good man and I loved him deeply, he suffered so much at the end, hiding from his capturers and I spent the last few months of his life trying to get help for him through the VA but was unable to reach the right people. He really enjoyed reading Splasher Six and would like his obituary mentioned if possible.
Thanks
Karol Hutcheson
Sent via BlackBerry by AT&T
Jerome Hutcheson
1st Lieutenant O-2, U.S. Air Force
Veteran of:
U.S. Army Reserve 1942-1943
U.S. Army Air Forces 1943-1946
U.S. Air Force Reserve 1946-1955
World War II 1942-1945
Cold War 1945-1955
Tribute:
Jerry Hutcheson was born on May 18, 1923, in Chicago, Illinois. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve on December 14, 1942, and went on active duty as an Aviation Cadet in the U.S. Army Air Forces on February 26, 1943. Hutcheson was awarded his Navigator Wings and was commissioned a 2d Lt at Selman Field, Louisiana, on April 8, 1944, and deployed to England as a B-17 Flying Fortress Navigator with the 100th Bomb Group in England in July 1944. Lt Hutcheson flew 8 combat missions before being forced to bail out over Germany and taken as a Prisoner of War on September 11, 1944. After spending 237 days in captivity, he was repatriated by the Soviet Army on May 5, 1945, and returned to the U.S. in June 1945. Lt Hutcheson received an honorable discharge from active duty on January 4, 1946, and from the Air Force Reserve on June 6, 1955. After leaving active duty, Jerry completed his bachelor's degree in engineering and later received his master's degree in astronomy from the University of California. He worked in Germany as an Air Force contractor in the rebuilding effort there in the 1950's and in the aerospace industry as an aeronautical engineer and as an astro-physicist with the RAND Corporation for many years. Jerry Hutcheson died on May 7, 2009.
Richard P. Keirn
Rank, Service
Colonel O-6, U.S. Air Force
Veteran of:
U.S. Army 1942 (Includes Reserve Time)
U.S. Army Air Forces 1942-1947
U.S. Air Force 1947-1948, 1956-1976
Ohio Air National Guard 1948-1956
World War II 1942-1945 (POW)
Cold War 1945-1976
Vietnam War 1965-1973 (POW)
Tribute:
Richard Keirn was born on July 29, 1924, in Akron, Ohio. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve on November 10, 1942, and was accepted into the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces on February 15, 1943. He was awarded his pilot wings and promoted to Flight Officer on January 7, 1944, and began flying B-17 Flying Fortress bombers in the European Theater in August 1944. On September 11, 1944, Keirn's B-17 was shot down and he was taken as a Prisoner of War by the Germans. After spending 237 days in captivity, he was repatriated on May 5, 1945. Keirn received his commission as a 2Lt in the Army Air Forces on May 17, 1946. He went into the Air Force Reserve on March 31, 1947, and joined the Ohio Air National Guard on June 3, 1948. Captain Keirn went back on active duty with the Air Force on December 10, 1956, and served as a fighter pilot at Langley AFB, Virginia, Kadena AB, Okinawa, Seymour-Johnson AFB, North Carolina, and MacDill AFB, Florida, before flying combat missions in Southeast Asia with the 47th Tactical Fighter Squadron in July 1965. On July 24, 1965, Major Keirn was forced to eject from his stricken F-4C Phantom II and was captured the next day and taken as a Prisoner of War by the North Vietnamese. After spending 2,760 days in captivity, Col Keirn was released during Operation Homecoming on February 12, 1973. After hospitalization, Keirn attended Air War College at Maxwell AFB, Alabama, before being assigned to the 507th Tactical Air Control Group at Shaw AFB, South Carolina, from May 1974 to April 1975. His final assignment was as Director of Operational Services, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations with Headquarters 9th Air Force at Shaw AFB, from April 1975 until his retirement from the Air Force on July 1, 1976. Colonel Keirn is one of only two Vietnam Prisoners of War to have been held as a POW twice. Richard Keirn died on May 25, 2000.
His Silver Star Citation reads:
For the Period August 1967. This officer distinguished himself by gallantry and intrepidity in action in connection with military operations against an opposing armed force during the above period while a Prisoner of War in North Vietnam. Ignoring international agreements on treatment of prisoners of war, the enemy resorted to mental and physical cruelties to obtain information, confessions, and propaganda materials. This individual resisted their demands by calling upon his deepest inner strengths in a manner which reflected his devotion to duty and great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.
MEMO 2:
POW/KIA notes: His 14th Mission. He later served in Vietnam and spent 7 years as a POW in that war.
Birth: Jul. 29, 1924
Akron
Summit County
Ohio, USA
Death: May 25, 2000
Melbourne
Brevard County
Florida, USA
Colonel, U.S. Air Force. Prisoner of War in Two Wars: World War II & Vietnam War.
Richard Paul Keirn was born on 29 July 1924 in Akron, OH.
World War II
On 10 November 1942, at the age of 18, Richard enlisted in the U.S. Army Reserve. On 15 February 1943, he was accepted into the Aviation Cadet Program of the U.S. Army Air Forces and reported to San Antonio Cadet Center, San Antonio, TX, then went to Muskogee, OK. From there, he was sent to the Army Air Forces Pilot School (Basic) at Coffeyville, KS. Upon completion of the basic course, on 7 January 1944, he was awarded his Army Air Force pilot wings and promoted to Flight Officer. From there he went to Moore Field, TX, for advanced single-engine training and then trained to fly the B-17 Flying Fortress bomber at Dyersburg, TN.
In June 1944, FO Keirn was sent to the European Theater of Operations where he joined the 100th Bomb Group, 5th Air Force, in England, flying B-17s. On 11 September 1944, while on his 14th mission deep inside Germany, Keirn's B-17 took numerous severe hits and he and his crew were forced to bail out over Leipzig. After several weeks of hospitalization, he was sent to Stalag Luft 1, in Barth, Germany. After spending 237 days in captivity as a Prisoner of War, the camp was liberated by Russian soldiers and FO Keirn was repatriated on 5 May 1945.
Between Wars
Richard returned to the U.S. in June 1945 and married Hazel, his waiting Navy WAVE, a Telegrapher Second Class, on 20 July 1945. Keirn received his commission as a Second Lieutenant in the Army Air Forces on 17 May 1946 and spent time assigned to Minter Field, CA, and Wright-Patterson AFB, OH, maintaining his flying status. He left active duty service in January 1947. On 31 March 1947 he went into the Air Force Reserve and, on 3 June 1948, joined the Ohio Air National Guard.
In the 164th Fighter Interceptor Squadron of the Ohio Air National Guard, he flew P-51 Mustangs and F-80 and F-84E jets, until his recall to active duty in 1956. Captain Keirn went back on active duty with the Air Force on 10 December 1956, and served as a fighter pilot at Langley AFB, VA, flying F-100D Super Sabre's with the 511th Tactical Fighter Squadron ('TFS') in 1956-57; F-86's with the 336th TFS at Kadena AFB, Okinawa, and then instructor pilot of F-100D's with the newly-activated 12 TFS, also at Kadena, and C-119's, L-20's, C-47's with the Air Base Wing at Kadena, 1957-60. He was the Divisions and Plans Officer flying T-33's with the 333rd TFS at Seymour-Johnson AFB, Goldsboro, NC, from 1960-62, and then on to the 47th TFS at MacDill AFB, Tampa, FL.
Vietnam War
At MacDill with the 47th Tactical Fighter Squadron, after being checked out in the F-4C Phantom, with survival school at Stead AFB in Reno, NV, and Langley AFB, he was declared "combat ready." In July 1965, Keirn was deployed to Ubon, Thailand, with the 47th TFS as Assistant Operations Officer.
On 24 July 1965, twelve days after arriving "in-country," the newly-promoted Major Keirn filled-in for another pilot who was on sick-call, for his 5th combat mission in Southeast Asia. As Command Pilot, he was flying northwest of Hanoi when his F-4C Phantom II aircraft took a hard vertical hit, then a violent explosion ripped through the aircraft and fire swept through the plane. His had just become the first on-record American aircraft downed by a Russian-made SAM (Surface-to-Air Missile). He parachuted down and landed on the side of a mountain during monsoon. Maj Keirn injured both ankles, sustained flash burns over his hands, shoulders and face, and carried a piece of shrapnel in his leg until he returned to the U.S. He was captured the next day and taken as a Prisoner of War by the North Vietnamese.
After spending 2,760 days in captivity, now-Col Keirn (he was promoted while in POW status) was released during Operation Homecoming on 12 February 1973.
After his hospitalization was over, Col Keirn attended and graduated from the Air War College at Maxwell AFB, AL, in 1974. He was then assigned to the 507th Tactical Air Control Group at Shaw AFB, SC, from May 1974 to April 1975. His final assignment was as Director of Operational Services, Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, with Headquarters 9th Air Force at Shaw AFB, from April 1975 until his retirement from the Air Force on 30 June 1976. Col Keirn gave his country his honorable service for 33 years, 7 months and 21 days.
Colonel Richard Paul Keirn is one of only two Vietnam Prisoners of War to have been held as a POW twice. He served a total of 2,997 days in captivity; that was truly doing 'hard time.'
Medals, Awards and Badges
Silver Star Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Legion of Merit with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Distinguished Flying Cross with 2 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Bronze Star Medal with 3 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Purple Heart with 4 Bronze Oak Leaf Clusters
Air Force Commendation Medal with Bronze Oak Leaf Cluster
Army Commendation Medal
Army Air Force Presidential Unit Citation
Air Force Outstanding Unit Award
Prisoner of War Medal with Bronze Star
Combat Readiness Medal
Army Good Conduct Medal
American Campaign Medal
European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with Silver and 4 Bronze Battle Stars
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Vietnam Service Medal
Humanitarian Service Medal
Air Force Longevity Service Award
Armed Forces Reserve Medal
Air Force Small Arms Expert Marksmanship Ribbon
French Croix de Guerre with Palm
Vietnam Campaign Medal
Command Pilot Badge
In Retirement
Richard and Hazel settled in their "dream home" in Indian Harbour Beach, FL. Speaking publicly whenever called upon, he made several speeches at MacDill AFB and Patrick AFB, for MIA/POW Day and Veterans Day ceremonies.
In 1995, Richard and Hazel celebrated their 50th anniversary and his book "Old Glory Is the Most Beautiful of All," was published. The book was his personal story of being a prisoner of war during two wars; one of only two men to do so.
Death and Burial
Colonel Richard Paul "Pop" Keirn passed away on 25 May 2000, at Holmes Regional Medical Center, Melbourne, FL. He was buried at Florida Memorial Gardens on Memorial Day, 29 May 2000, with an Honor Guard and full military honors including a missing-man flyby of F-15's over the restricted air space of Patrick AFB and Cape Canaveral, FL.
"With his passing, our country has lost a great American patriot and hero. There is a certain grace to his going at this holiday." said his son, Steve, during the eulogy he presented. "Pop would have loved seeing all the flags flying." said daughter, Sherye.
Colonel Keirn was survived by his wife of nearly 55 years, Hazel; son, Steve; daughter, Sherye; and 4 grandchildren.
Honors
Colonel Richard Paul "Pop" Keirn has Honoree Record 3650, with biography and citations, at MilitaryHallofHonor.com.
Family links:
Spouse:
Martha Hazel Keirn (1922 - 2014)*
*Calculated relationship
Burial:
Florida Memorial Gardens
Rockledge
Brevard County
Florida, USA
Created by: Charles A. Lewis
Record added: May 27, 2013
Find A Grave Memorial# 111271524
