Kenneth M. Taylor
| Kenneth M. Taylor | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
December 23, 1919 Enid, Oklahoma |
| Died | November 25, 2006 (aged 86) Tucson, Arizona |
| Buried at | Arlington National Cemetery |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch |
United States Army Air Corps United States Army Air Forces United States Air Force |
| Years of service | 1940–1971 |
| Rank |
 Brigadier General
|
| Unit | 47th Pursuit Squadron 44th Fighter Squadron 12th Pursuit Squadron 4961st Special Weapons Test 456th Fighter Squadron |
| Battles/wars | Cold War |
| Awards |
Distinguished Service Cross Distinguished Service Medal Legion of Merit Purple Heart Air Medal |
| Other work |
Alaska Air National Guard Aviation insurance |
Kenneth Marlar Taylor (December 23, 1919 – November 25, 2006) was a new United States Army Air Corps Second Lieutenant pilot stationed at Pearl Harbor during the Japanese attack on December 7, 1941. Along with his fellow pilot and friend George Welch, he managed to get a fighter plane airborne under fire. Taylor claimed to have shot down four Japanese dive bombers but only two were confirmed. Taylor was injured during the incident and received several awards for his efforts, including the Distinguished Service Cross and the Purple Heart.
Taylor later commanded several squadrons while stationed in the United States and elsewhere, and served for 27 years of active duty. He joined the Alaska Air National Guard until 1971 and worked in the insurance industry before retiring in 1985. His Pearl Harbor experience was portrayed in the 1970 film Tora! Tora! Tora! and the film Pearl Harbor.
Shortly after his birth in Enid, Oklahoma, Taylor's father, Joe M. Taylor, moved his family to Hominy, Oklahoma, where Taylor graduated high school in 1938. He entered the University of Oklahoma as a pre-law student in the same year and joined the Army Air Corps two years later. He graduated from aviation training at Brooks Field near San Antonio, Texas on April 25, 1941, reaching the rank of second lieutenant and was assigned to class 41C. In June 1941, he was assigned to the 47th Pursuit Squadron at Wheeler Army Airfield in Honolulu, Hawaii, and began flying two weeks later. Although the 47th had several types of aircraft — some obsolete — he began his training in the advanced Curtiss P-40B Warhawk fighter. Taylor accumulated more than 430 flight hours of training before the attack on Pearl Harbor.
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Wikipedia