This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Politics & Government

Retired Aviator and Former POW Has Strong Ties to Coronado

Retired Col. Richard Kenney, a Coronado native, remembers his days as a World War II POW.

Coronado is geared up and ready to celebrate the this weekend. The Parade of Flight is the talk of the town as many look forward to seeing over 180 aircraft fly above.

Celebrating this centennial allows us to congratulate the Navy on its achievement in aviation and also to pause and honor our veterans who flew in past wars.

Coronado is home to many of those veterans. One is Coronado native and retired Col. Richard Kenney. Kenney, who turns 91 next month, grew up on the island, graduated from Coronado High School, attended San Diego State University, and is very familiar with Navy life. He served in the Navy Reserve before attending flight training and his father was a naval officer.

Find out what's happening in Coronadowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

As a pilot who loves the air, Kenney laughs as he talks about being able to relate with Navy sailors since he spent time on a destroyer while in the reserves.

Desiring to fly in the service, Kenney requested flight training as soon as the opportunity arose.

Find out what's happening in Coronadowith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“I immediately put in for flight training to both the Navy and the Army. And I got a telegram from the Army saying I got accepted,” he said. He did get accepted into the Navy program too. Why did he go with the Army then?

Kenney said with a smile that he went with the Army Air Forces simply because he heard from them about 10 days sooner. He wanted to fly as soon as he could.

Kenney retired as a colonel with the Air Force. (In September of 1947, the Army Air Forces became the U.S. Air Force—its own branch and partner with the Army and Navy.)

Throughout his accomplished 27-year career, Kenney became carrier qualified and flew everything up to F-100 Super Sabres. He was also one of the first exchange officers to the Navy; he instructed naval aviators in Florida for one year. And though he is humble, he was one of the best gunners at the prime of his flying career.

Most notably though, Kenney was shot down and captured as a prisoner of war (POW) during World War II. He endured for two years, from age 23 to 25, at Stalag Luft III–the camp run by the German air force, the Luftwaffe, and created for U.S. allied airmen who were shot down. The Hollywood movie The Great Escape is based on allied POWs’ famous escape from this camp.

Kenney stayed at the camp until Gen. George S. Patton Jr. and his 3rd Army liberated everyone. Kenney said the sound of the American tank rolling in was the best sound he had ever heard—it still holds that No. 1 spot today.

When he returned to the United States, Kenny received a Purple Heart for the injuries and bad burns he sustained after being shot down.

Though those two years are certainly not the fondest memories Kenney has of his flying career, he looks forward to reliving his aviation days as he watches past planes fly in the Parade of Flight tomorrow.  

Make sure to watch the video of Kenney talking about his interrogation and time as a POW. And for aviation lovers, there is also a video of him recounting a memorable dogfight.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?