Kent McKnight

Medals and Decorations

• Air Medal (2)

• Navy Commendation Medal (with combat V)

• Combat Action Ribbon

• Meritorious Unit Commendation

• National Defense Service Medal (with 3 campaign stars)

• Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal

• Vietnam Service Medal (with 3 campaign stars)

• Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm

• Vietnam Meritorious Unit Citation

Tours of Duty

• U.S. Naval Academy, Annapolis, MD - graduated 1954

• Naval Air Station, Pensacola, Flight Training - Designated Naval Aviator 1956

• Patrol Squadron Two. NAS Whidbey Island, WA. Patrol Plane Commander in the P2V-7 aircraft. Deployed to NAS Kodiak, Alaska, and Marine Corp Air Station -  Iwakuni, Japan

• NAS North Island, Coronado, CA. Antisubmarine Nuclear Weapons Delivery Instructor

• Airborne Early Warning Squadron One NAS Agana, Guam. Aircraft Commander on the E121K aircraft (super constellation) Typhoon Tracking and Airborne Early Warning Missions. Deployed to the Philippines, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, Hong Kong, Hawaii and other Pacific Islands

• Fleet Composite Squadron Three, NAS North Island, Coronado, CA - Maintenance Officer

• NAS Brunswick, Brunswick, ME - Assistant Operations Officer

• Naval Air Facility Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam. - Air Operations Officer

• Naval Air Technical Training Center, Glynco, GA - Administrative Officer

 

 

Significant Experiences

Flew Airborne Early Warning flights for U.S. ships, off coast of Vietnam, during the initial escalation of the Vietnam War.

Penetrated into two separate Typhoons (same as hurricanes) two times each on the same flight.

Experienced many rocket attacks while stationed at NAF Cam Rahn Bay, Vietnam

 

 

[ Back ] [ Next ] [ Up ]