Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe
| Jeremiah Joseph O'Keefe | |
|---|---|
Jeremiah "Jerry" Joseph O'Keefe, III
|
|
| Born |
July 12, 1923 Ocean Springs, Mississippi |
| Died | August 23, 2016 (aged 93) Biloxi, Mississippi |
| Allegiance |
 United States
|
| Service/branch |
 United States Marine Corps
|
| Years of service | 1942–1945 |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
| Awards | |
Jeremiah Joseph "Jerry" O'Keefe III (July 12, 1923 – August 23, 2016) was an American World War II veteran and decorated fighter pilot ace. In addition, he served as a member of the Mississippi House of Representatives and was the mayor of Biloxi, Mississippi from 1973 to 1981.
Mr. Jeremiah O'Keefe was born in Ocean Springs, Mississippi, on July 12, 1923. His parents were J. Ben O'Keefe and Teresa Slattery O'Keefe. He was the second of four children. With his family, he moved to Biloxi, Mississippi at age thirteen because the home he was born in and lived in was lost to the family during the Depression. O'Keefe went to St. Alphonsus Elementary School and Sacred Heart Academy in Biloxi, Mississippi. After World War II, O'Keefe graduated from Loyola University, in New Orleans, Louisiana.
O'Keefe was attending Soule Business College during the attack on Pearl Harbor. He quickly enlisted in the U.S. Navy and served from 1942-1943. Then he became a fighter pilot with the U.S. Marine Corps from 1943-1945. He was a 1st Lt. with the VMF-323 Marine Squadron, known as the "Death Rattlers". He gained recognition for his contributions to an dogfight in Okinawa on April 22, 1945 in which he shot down five Japanese Kamikazes, becoming an ace in a single day. (This action was chronicled on the Dogfights TV series, the episode: Supersonic." On April 28 Lt. O'Keefe shot down another two enemy planes bringing his total victories to seven which made him the highest scoring ace in Okinawa at the time.
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